The world's first Drone Soccer World Cup, which attempts to promote the city of Jeonju as the leading city in drone soccer and connect the world through drone soccer, has kicked off.

Jeonju City announced that on the 25th, the opening ceremony of the '2025 Jeonju Drone Soccer World Cup (FIDA World Cup Jeonju 2025)' took place at the Jeonju World Cup Stadium, marking the start of a four-day event.

The opening ceremony was attended by around 15,000 participants, including players and visitors from 33 countries around the world, citizens, volunteers, and supporters, along with U Beom-gi, the mayor of Jeonju and the civilian organizing committee chairman for drone soccer, and Kim Jeong-tae, the chairman of the Jeonju Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Under the slogan 'Drone Soccer, Opening the Sky and Connecting the World,' the opening ceremony symbolized leaping towards infinite possibilities by connecting the world through drone soccer. The event began with a pre-performance by the children's traditional music orchestra of Jeonbuk Special Self-Governing Province, followed by a Taekwondo demonstration team from Jeonju University called 'Ssaulabi,' which excited the audience with their dynamic performance. Subsequently, an air show featuring 150 clustered drones lit up the night sky of Jeonju.

Following the pre-performance, the atmosphere of the opening ceremony was further heightened by the singing of the national anthem by Wang Ki-seok, a master singer of intangible cultural heritage in Jeonbuk Province, a traditional military band parade by Chwita-dae, and a procession by mounted troops.

In particular, the entrance of the Australian team was followed by teams from Asia (15 countries), Pan-America (7 countries), Europe (7 countries), Africa (3 countries), and Oceania (1 country), filling the opening ceremony venue with cheers and applause from the audience.

The spectators welcomed each team or country with cheers as they were introduced. Subsequently, speeches were delivered by U Beom-gi, the mayor of Jeonju and co-chairman of the organizing committee, Noh Sang-heub, the president of the International Drone Soccer Federation (FIDA), and other key figures, followed by a performance by three tenors on the theme of the World Cup.