UAE singer Hussain Al Jassmi is one of the star names taking place in the AFC Asian Cup opening ceremony on Saturday.
Published in Arabian Business, on Jan 04th, 2019, By Sam Bridge
Organisers are promising a ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ experience and ‘breathtaking’ live show on Saturday
UAE singers Hussain Al Jassmi, Balqees Ahmed Fathi and Eida Al Menhali will help open the 17th edition of the AFC Asian Cup in Abu Dhabi at the Zayed Sports City Stadium on Saturday.
Organisers are promising a “once-in-a-lifetime” experience and “breathtaking” live show for thousands of fans in the stadium and millions of viewers around the world, starting from 7.30pm local time.
The opening ceremony will transform the stadium with a series of live on-pitch music performances.
The 51-match tournament, which is being held in the UAE for the second time, will get underway with three of the host nation’s most acclaimed singing talents who will open the celebrations.
An estimated audience of 300 million viewers will watch the signers take to the pitch, surrounded by hundreds of performers before the tournament’s opener between the hosts UAE and Bahrain.
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Titled Zanaha Zayed, the opening ceremony’s theme song was written by Arif Al Khaja and composed by Khalid Nasser. Mohammed Darwish Al Zarouni will oversee the spectacle while Roshan Soomarchun directs the showpiece.
Organisers have revealed that as many as 600 performers from the UAE and around the world will participate in the live extravaganza including drummers, Ayalla dancers and origami falcons.
Over 13 minutes leading to the kick-off, the show will tell the story of the tournament’s slogan, Mansour, an Emirati boy inspired by the beauty of the flight of falcons, and is produced by those behind the successful opening ceremonies of the UEFA Champions League finals since 2014, the UEFA European Championships 2016 and several CAF African Cup of Nations.
Last remaining tickets for the opening ceremony and opening match are available at www.asiancup2019.com. Tickets start at AED25.