WATCH: Thousands of fans pack into ‘Al Janoub Stadium’ for Amir Cup final

May 17, 2019

The first among the eight stadiums for the FIFA 2022 World Cup in Qatar was inaugurated yesterday in front of a packed audience of 40,000.

Formerly known as Al Wakrah Stadium, the ‘Al Janoub Stadium’ hosted the final match of the Amir Cup, Qatar’s most popular football tournament.

فخورون بمترو الدوحة أحد أهم مشاريع البنية التحتية لبلدنا والذي استقليته الليلة لحضور النهائي بين السد والدحيل وإذ نتمنى التوفيق للفريقين، نستذكر في هذه الأثناء المهندسة الراحلة زها حديد التي أبدعت في تصميم هذا المعلم الرياضي الذي أُطلق عليه اليوم استاد الجنوب.
— تميم بن حمد (@TamimBinHamad) May 16, 2019

The stunning opening ceremony unfolded prior to the title clash between teams Al Duhail and Al Sadd, with the former claiming victory 4-1.

_{Photo Credit: Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy}

His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani took a ride on the newly-launched Doha Metro to reach the stadium, sharing the excitement of thousands of other Qatari citizens and residents on the momentous occasion.

View this post on Instagram

وصول سمو الأمير الشيخ تميم بن حمد ال ثاني الى استاد الوكرة المونديالي #تميم_بن_حمد #فعاليات #قطر #الوعد2022 #استاد_الوكرة #فعاليات_قطر18 #qatarevents18 #qatar #doha
A post shared by فعاليات قطر 18 Qatar Events (@qatarevents18) on May 16, 2019 at 11:30am PDT

As the flickering lights indicated the start of the ceremony, roaring crowds of citizens and expats, young and old alike, displayed a spirit of absolute zeal and pride.

Qatar Living joined the cheering crowds last night, to cover the ceremony and offer QLers who couldn't make it to the venue a chance to see the opening live:

The stadium then turned dark as performers took stage around a huge, inflatable pearl placed at the center of the pitch.

Qatar’s early beginnings, marked by its pearling tradition, were displayed in a video that aired on two large screens at the stadium.

The radiating pearl gradually transformed into the Amir Cup trophy followed by some spectacular fireworks, that took the excitement of spectators to an all-time high.

The feisty encounter between teams Al Duhail and Al Sadd took place following the ceremony, with Al Duhail emerging as the champions.

_{Photo Credit: Twitter/ Al Duhail}

HH the Amir crowned the victorious team, and honored the Al Duhail players with gold medals. He then presented silver medals to the Al Sadd players, reported Gulf Times.

Several Qatari Ministers, VIPs and dignitaries from the country and around the world were in attendance at the final last night including: FIFA President Gianni Infantino; President of the World Economic Forum Borge Brende; President of the African Football Confederation (CAF) and Member of FIFA Council Ahmad Ahmad; President of the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL), among others.

The ceremony also paid tribute to Zaha Hadid (late), the legendary designer of the stadium.

_{Photo Credit: Twitter/ Road to 2022}