With only hours left for the Fifa World Cup to begin in Qatar, football fans in Dubai can look forward to watching matches at fan zones that have opened in the city.
At Expo City Dubai, giant screens have been set up at Jubilee Park and Al Wasl Dome.
A wide selection of food and drinks will be on sale, ensuring a festival atmosphere throughout the tournament.
Opening in time for the first whistle on Sunday, November 20, Fan City at Jubilee Park can accommodate 10,000 spectators. The venue has a shisha lounge, beverage tent and jumbo television screens, organisers said.
Something for everyone
“Fan City at Jubilee Park will kick off on Sunday with the opening match between Qatar and Ecuador and continues throughout the tournament,” Dalya Kattan, creative director at Expo City Dubai, told The National.
"Starting from the knockout stage [December 3] fans can attend the VIP guest experience at Al Wasl Plaza."
The fan zone at Jubilee Park will be open from 5pm to 1.30am on weekdays, and midday until 1.30am during weekends.
Admission is Dh30 and children under the age of 12 can enter for free.
At the entrance of Fan City, a podium featuring 32 mannequins wearing the official kits of the teams taking part in the World Cup will welcome spectators.
“We are super excited about this as people from different nationalities will come again to the site," Ms Kattan said.
"It’s like nostalgia for us to invite all the countries to come back again to the site after Expo.”
Entertainment after matches
The zone will have a family-friendly section with bean bags, picnic tables and food trucks.
People can park close to fan city at Jubilee Park and reach the zone after a five-minute walk.
Spectators can watch the matches on a wide main screen measuring seven metres by 11 metres.
Another screen has been installed in the activity area where families and friends can test their skills in agility courses, foot volley courts, penalty kick activations, foosball and a PlayStation area.
“There will post-match entertainment and a DJ. With so many options, spectators will have a different and unique experience watching the World Cup here in fan city,” Ms Kattan said.
A third screen will be at a licensed area for visitors of legal drinking age, led by Budweiser, an official sponsor of the Fifa World Cup Qatar 2022.
Starting from the knockout stages on Saturday, December 3, Al Wasl Plaza will welcome guests with four supersized screens that will broadcast the matches live.
“The four screens are five metres high and nine metres wide, augmented by in-game graphics projected across Al Was Plaza — the world’s largest 360-degree projection screen,” she said.
In addition, individual and group VIP packages are available for purchase.
Hospitality guests will also receive a complimentary one-day Expo City Dubai Attraction Pass valid until December 31.
Fans can buy tickets online through Expo City Dubai or Platinumlist website.
Items that are not allowed
- Organisers have said the following cannot be brought into the fan zone
- Hard-cased cooler boxes
- Professional cameras
- Laptops and tablets
- Flares and laser pointers
- Horns, trumpets, sirens, whistles, air horns or vuvuzela-type noisemaking devices
- Flags, banners, posters or signs larger than 30cm x 30cm, and flag poles of any size
