BTS member Jung Kook performed at the FIFA World Cup opening ceremony on Sunday evening, winning fans' hearts with his performance. The opening ceremony preceded the first match of the sporting event and saw the first ever live performance of this year's official World Cup anthem Dreamers by Jung Kook and Fahad Al Kubaisi. As soon as the ceremony ended, Twitter was replete with praise for Jung Kook and his historic performance.
Jung Kook, member of the popular boy band BTS, is the first Asian ever to perform the official World Cup anthem. Reacting to the performance, BTS Army, the fans of the popular group, flooded Twitter with praise for the singer. "But lowkey really proud on Jung Kook, he absolutely killed it," wrote one fan. Another tweeted, "Jung Kook is ready for world domination. That was so good. He is winning the world" The singer performed Dreamers, which he had unveiled earlier in the day online, with his collaborator, Qatari singer Fahad Al Kubaisi, who also received applause from the home crowd.
Previously, musical stars like Ricky Martin, Shakira, and Enrique Iglesias have performed official World Cup songs. Jung Kook's performance was praised on the internet as being respectful, as it included tributes to previous anthems performed by these artistes as well.
Just before Jung Kook took to the stage, a small medley played iconic World Cup anthems like Cup of Life by Ricky Martin, Waka Waka by Shakira, and Waving Flag by K'naan. "So sweet of Jung Kook to respect past greats," read one tweet.
Before Jung Kook took the stage, the opening ceremony began with a moving monologue from veteran actor Morgan Freeman. The actor hosted the ceremony and shared the stage with differently abled Qatari YouTuber Ghanim al Muftah. The ceremony was held at the Al-Bayt Stadium in Al Khor, near the Qatari capital Doha.
