"How beautiful it is for people to put aside what divides them in order to celebrate their diversity and what brings them together at the same time," Sheikh Tamim said, his words translated into English on a video screen inside the stadium.
"I wish all the participating teams a magnificent football performance, high sportsmanship, and a time full of joy, excitement and delight for you all," he continued. "And let there be days that are inspiring with goodness and hope."
He then said, "I welcome you and good luck to all," in his only words spoken in English.
Sheikh Hamad, viewed as the modernizer of Qatar during his 18 years as ruler, further delighted the crowd by autographing an official World Cup shirt handed to him by his son. He then held the shirt up to the crowd.
It hit the mark when Sheikh Tamim was joined in the stadium suite by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi, two leaders who had boycotted Qatar for years. Not present were the leaders of Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates, the two other nations involved in the boycott.
There were no major Western leaders in attendance, as Qatar is under intense scrutiny for its treatment of the migrant workers who prepped the nation for the World Cup, as well as the LGBTQ community. Gay and lesbian sex is criminalized in Qatar.
Then came remarks from Infantino, who spoke in Arabic, Spanish and finally English to officially open the tournament.
"Dear friends, welcome, welcome, to the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022," Infantino said in English. "Welcome to celebrate football because football unites the world. And now let's welcome the teams and let the show begin."
As "The Business" by Tiesto blasted over the speakers, Qatar and Ecuador took to the field and the World Cup officially began.