JEDDAH: Cafes, restaurants and hotels are gearing up for the start of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar as football fever sweeps across the Kingdom.
With the start of the monthlong event now just days away, venues are busy putting up decorations and installing extra TVs and projector screens to give their customers the best experience possible.
Amjad Al-Khateeb, the manager of a well-known cafe outlet at Jeddah Corniche, said his visitors would be in for a treat.
“We have six television screens so customers can have a good view from wherever they are seated. The atmosphere will be completely different,” he told Arab News.
Workers at the cafe would even be wearing the team shirts of the 32 countries competing in Qatar, he added.
Mohammed Al-Sanhani, who manages a lounge in Al-Rowdah district, said he was expecting a big turnout for the upcoming games, the first of which kicks off on Sunday.
“We expect the football fans to come as there is nothing that beats the atmosphere in our lounge with all the shouting and cheering,” he said.
“We are all set to cheer for the Saudi national team and other favorite teams such as Brazil, Argentina and France, so we have prepared a special menu with dishes and drinks,” he added.
Hazim Abu Shaker, who manages a restaurant in the city, said he too was planning to offer extra incentives to draw in the soccer-hungry crowds.
“To bring more excitement to our football atmosphere, we are considering having lucky draws and match-guessing contests,” he said.
The high number of venues showing the World Cup is a real boon for the tens of thousands of Saudi football fans who are unable to travel to Qatar to see the games live.
Saud Abdulaziz, 32, told Arab News he wanted to watch Saudi Arabia play in the flesh but was unable to get hold of any tickets.
“I tried every way to buy a ticket to go to Doha and cheer for our national team, but all of the matches were sold out. Now, I have no choice but to watch the World Cup here in Jeddah."
“I will be watching the matches mostly with my friends at one of the famous cafes here, because the atmosphere will be completely different to watching at home.”
Waleed Al-Otaibi, 30, agreed, saying “there is no better place to watch them than at a local cafe.”
“I was a bit disappointed at not getting a ticket, but I will be definitely watching the games throughout the month with friends in a cafe’s fan zone.”
