Anchor: The first-ever FIFA World Cup to be held in the Middle East opened Sunday in Qatar. Amid the festive mood, Jungkook, the youngest member of K-pop superstars BTS, showcased his latest solo single at the opening of the month-long quadrennial tournament.
Choi You Sun reports.

Report: The 2022 FIFA World Cup has kicked off with BTS' Jungkook performing at the opening ceremony on Sunday.

The youngest member of the K-pop sensation unveiled his new solo single, "Dreamers," performing at times with Qatari singer Fahad Al-Kubaisi before around 60-thousand spectators at Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor, about 50 kilometers north of Qatari capital Doha.

The song, which is included among the 2022 FIFA World Cup soundtrack, is the first World Cup soundtrack number to be sung solo by a K-pop singer.

The opener between Qatar and Ecuador in Group A at the stadium following the ceremony ended in a 2-0 victory for the South American side, making Qatar the first host to lose at a FIFA World Cup opening match.

Sixty-three other matches will run for 29 days with the final match to be held on December 18.

Led by Portuguese coach Paulo Bento, Team Korea will begin its group campaign with a duel against Uruguay on Thursday. It will also play against Ghana next Monday and Portugal on Saturday of next week.

With a roster that includes Tottenham's Son Heung-min and Napoli's Kim Min-jae, South Korea aims to advance to the knockout round for the first time in 12 years, but much depends on how quickly Son recovers from recent facial surgery.

The so-called "Taegeuk Warriors" will likely have to mobilize their full capacity  to secure a victory in their first group match against two-time champions Uruguay.
Choi You Sun, KBS World Radio News.