The 2018 World Cup is going to be a time of celebration in countries around the world, but there’s one celebration we can all revel in together: The opening ceremony.
Hundreds of performers, including ’90s icon Robbie Williams, have been booked to perform during the festivities which will take place on Thursday, June 14, 2018.
The She’s The One singer’s participation in the World Cup, being hosted in Russia, has been the subject of much controversy after he was urged to boycott the ceremony following the poisoning of Sergei Skripal. Still, Robbie, 44, is looking forward to it, according to a statement he released.
‘I’m so happy and excited to be going back to Russia for such a unique performance. I’ve done a lot in my career, and opening the FIFA World Cup to 80,000 football fans in the stadium and many millions all over the world is a boyhood dream,’ he said.
Robbie continued: ‘We’d like to invite football and music fans to party with us in Russia, in the stadium, or to tune in their TVs a little earlier for an unforgettable show.’
So what do you need to know about the 2018 World Cup opening ceremony? Here’s the scoop.
World Cup opening ceremony 2018
The World Cup opening ceremony will take place at Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow, Russia on Thursday, June 14, 2018. Will Smith will be performing the World Cup’s anthem alongside singer Era Istrefi and Nicky Jam. The anthem’s called Live it Up.
Robbie Williams has also been pegged to perform during the opening ceremony. He’ll be joined by Aida Garifullina.
Placido Domingo, a famous opera singer, will perform alongside Peruvian tenor Juan Diego Florez; Denis Matsuev opera stars Anna Netrebko, Yusif Eivazov and Anna Netrebko will perform as well.
It’ll also feature nearly 500 dancers, gymnasts and trampolinists performing various homages to Russia and Russian culture.
FIFA has said that the 2018 World Cup opening ceremony will have a different format than previous years. This year there will be a strong focus on musical acts.
In addition to the ceremony there will be a concert held in Red Square.
When is the opening ceremony for the World Cup?
The opening ceremony for the 2018 World Cup will take place on Thursday, June 14, 2018.
What time is the opening ceremony of the World Cup?
The 2018 World Cup opening ceremony will take place 30 minutes before kick-off. If you’re tuning in from the United States, that’ll be at 10:30am ET. British viewers can catch it at 3:30pm BST.
World Cup opening ceremony on TV
In the US, Fox, Fox Sports 1, and the Fox Sports Go app will be broadcasting the World Cup opening ceremony live on Thursday. Their coverage of the even will begin at 9am ET.
If you’re not near your TV when the show begins, you can stream it live for free on FuboTV or FoxSports.com.
World Cup opening ceremony Ghana/UK TV
The World Cup will be aired live on ITV and BBC in the UK. That coverage will begin at 3:30pm BST on June 14, 2018.
If you won’t be near your television at that time, you can stream matches online via BBC’s iPlayer or ITV’s ITV Hub.
What time does the World Cup start?
The first match of the 2018 World Cup begins at 11am ET (4pm BST). It’s a match-upbetween Russia and Saudi Arabia.
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