*Amir inaugurates tournament in the presence of a large number of dignitaries
The Amir announced the inauguration of the tournament, saying "In the name of God and with God's blessings, I declare the opening of the FIFA Arab Cup Qatar 2021, wishing all national teams well. All Arabs are welcome to the Doha of all Arabs."
The opening ceremony was attended by His Highness the Father Amir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, His Highness Personal Representative of the Amir Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad al-Thani, His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Khalifa al-Thani, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Khalifa al-Thani, HE Sheikh Jassim bin Khalifa al-Thani, HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz al-Thani and HE Speaker of the Shura Council Hassan bin Abdullah al-Ghanim, along with a number of Their Excellencies Sheikhs and ministers.
The inauguration was also attended by Lebanese President General Michel Aoun, Palestine President Mahmoud Abbas, President of the Federal Republic of Somalia Mohamed Abdullah Farmajo, President of Djibouti Ismail Omar Guelleh, President of the Presidential Council of Libya Dr Mohamed el-Manfi, Jordanian Crown Prince Al Hussein bin Abdullah II , Vice President of Yemen Lieutenant-General Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar, Governor of Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia Prince Saud bin Nayef bin Abdulaziz al-Saud, Aide to the President of the Russian Federation Igor Levitin, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense of Kuwait Sheikh Hamad Jaber al-Ali al-Sabah, Minister of Culture, Sports and Youth of Oman Theyazin bin Haitham al-Said, Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence of the United Arab Emirates Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak al-Nahyan, Minister of Youth and Sports of Egypt Dr Ashraf Sobhi and Turkish Minister of Youth and Sports Mehmet Muharrem Kasapoglu.
Also present on the occasion were FIFA President Gianni Infantino, Secretary-General of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (GCC) Dr Nayef Falah Mubarak al-Hajraf , heads of Olympic committees and federations in Arab countries, heads of diplomatic missions , senior officials in the field of sports, and the public.
The proceedings of the opening ceremony began with a visual presentation of artistic paintings, musical pieces from Arab national anthems, and a tribute to a group of immigrant Arab minds who contributed to the renaissance of the world.
After that, His Highness the Amir watched the opening match between the Qatari national football team and the Kingdom of Bahrain, which ended in the Qatari team's victory 1-0.
