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Glen Williams

Who is Jungkook? The BTS K-pop star performing at World Cup opening ceremony and his net worth

It's finally here! The World Cup gets underway on Sunday and will be kicked off in typically lavish fashion with an action-packed opening ceremony in Qatar.

The ceremony takes place ahead of the tournament's first game, a 4pm kick-off between host nation Qatar and and Ecuador in Group A. The match will take place at Al-Bayt Stadium in Al Khor. You can read more about that match here .

Before that, though, at around 2pm UK time, the opening ceremony will get the tournament officially underway. British artist Robbie Williams is expected to be part of the proceedings. So, too, is K-Pop star Jungkook, who is part of the band BTS.

READ MORE: The ultimate guide to how and where to drink in Qatar and how much it costs

Full details are yet to be released by FIFA, however in September, American rapper Lil Baby tweeted that he will be performing at the World Cup, having released World Cup anthem 'The World is Yours to Take', while Canadian actress Nora Fatehi is expected to sing the official song of the tournament, Light The Sky.

So, who is South Korean star Jungkook? Well, the 25-year-old is the youngest member of the band BTS and is the group's lead singer. He has even forged a successful solo career outside of the band and is one of K-Pop's leading artists.

He has previously cited Justin Bieber, Justin Timberlake and Usher as his musical inspirations. As of 2022, his net worth is thought to be almost £22million.

GRAB YOUR COPY: Get your brilliant 48-page Wales at the World Cup preview special

In March last year he broke the record for the most simultaneous viewers on South Korean video streaming platform 'V Live' , with a whopping 22 million tuning in to watch his stream. He has also held the record for the highest number of retweets on a single post for tweets he sent in both 2019 and 2021.

The BTS band's Twitter account last week confirmed Jungkook would be performing at the opening ceremony and also stated the singer had contributed to the official soundtrack of the tournament.

In October 2018, Jungkook was ordained alongside his BTS bandmates with the fifth-class Hwagwan Order of Cultural Merit by the President of South Korea, Moon Jae-in.

Send your message of support to the Wales football team at the World Cup here

He and his fellow band members were appointed Special Presidential Envoy for Future Generations and Culture in July 2021, in order to help "lead the global agenda for future generations, such as sustainable growth" and "expand South Korea's diplomatic efforts and global standing" in the international community.

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