Turkish president watches opening match of 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar

By Diyar Guldogan

ANKARA (AA) - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday watched the opening match of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, along with other international leaders.

The opening game of the championship, Qatar vs. Ecuador in Group A, kicked off at 1600GMT at Al Bayt Stadium in the Qatari city of Al Khor.

Earlier, Erdogan attended a reception hosted by Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. During the reception, Erdogan held brief conversations with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, and Jordan’s King Abdullah.

Other world leaders Erdogan spoke with include Kuwait’s Crown Prince Sheikh Mishaal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the vice president and prime minister of the United Arab Emirates, the ruler of Dubai, and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

The president held also talks with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and FIFA President Gianni Infantino.

Also attending the opening ceremony were Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, Liberian President George Weah, Rwandan President Paul Kagame, Senegalese President Macky Sall, and Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati.

Before his political career, Erdogan played semiprofessional football in Türkiye.

Under a bilateral security cooperation agreement, Türkiye deployed more than 3,000 police officers and security personnel to provide security for the World Cup with their Qatari counterparts.

The international football tournament runs through Dec. 18.