On Saturday night fireworks fizzled and crackled over the waterfront in Qatar's Doha to welcome the thousands of fans to the country and celebrate the day before the opening of the FIFA World Cup 2022.
The firework show, complete with illuminated drones writing "Welcome to Qatar", dazzled the crowds gathered along the waterfront.
"The fireworks were amazing. I have never seen these fireworks in... I was in 25 events like this, the Players, Augusta Masters, I was at the Open Championship, I was at the Olympic Games at Rio and Tokyo, (I was) at the last world cup in Russia, but I have never seen this fireworks at any place in the world," Martin Bachiller, fan from Argentina told news agency AP.
Videos of the stunning firework display have also gone viral on social media.
Read more: FIFA World Cup 2022: Can Qatar do justice to its status as the host team
Meanwhile, authorities turned away thousands of fans Saturday night from a concert celebrating the World Cup beginning the next day in Qatar, revealing the challenges ahead for Doha as it tries to manage crowds in FIFA's most-compact tournament ever.
Disappointed fans took being turned away largely in stride. Outside the venue, Qatari police, security guards and others guided the thousands away with giant foam fingers, bullhorns and blinking traffic control wands.
But the overflowing concert comes before the rest of the 1.2 million fans expected at the tournament arrive in this tiny nation on the Arabian Peninsula.
(With inputs from AP)
Read more: FIFA World Cup 2022 opening ceremony: Details of star performers, where to watch it LIVE
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