The opening ceremony, led by speeches by Russian President Vladimir Putin and FIFA President Gianni Infantino, started with classical music created by the famous Russian composer, Pyotr Chaikovsky, which was performed by the Grammy Music Award laureate Daniil Trifanov under the directorship of the Russian classical musical prodigy Yuri Bashment, This was followed by a performance of Great Britain’s renowned pop singer Robbie Williams, who entertained the audience in and outside the stadium with his "Let Me Entertain You" song. After the colorful ceremony, the Russian and Saudi teams, scheduled to launch the contest, squared off in the championship’s opening match...
The opening ceremony kicked off with speeches by Russian President Vladimir Putin and FIFA President Gianni Infantino, with Russia beating and Saudi Arabia in the championship’s opening match five-nil.