Muscat – Right from the moment it opened its doors on November 20, till the final match of the World Cup on Sunday, the Football Fan Festival, a part of the ‘Oman World Cup Programme’, has proven itself to be a major success story.

The festival exceeded all expectations, drawing in just over 92,000 football fans from across the country and abroad, with the semi-final and final matches getting booked weeks in advance. Of the 64 World Cup matches broadcast at the festival, the largest single match attendance was for the final between France and Argentina on Sunday, which saw over 5,800 fans cheering for their favoured teams.

However, the largest number of visitors to the festival in a single day was on December 6, with just under 7,100 fans attending the pair of ‘Round of 16’ matches – Morocco vs Spain and Portugal vs Switzerland.

Commenting on the success of the World Cup Programme, H E Azzan Qassim al Busaidi, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism and Head of the Steering Committee overseeing the Oman World Cup Programme, said, “I would like to extend my sincere congratulations to Qatar for hosting such a successful tournament. It is a matter of great pride not only for the host nation but also for each and everyone of us that a historical event of this magnitude was seamlessly hosted in our region with such care and professionalism.”

On the other hand, he pointed out, “the Football Fan Festival, which is one of the main pillars of the Oman World Cup Programme, was able to transfer the amazing atmosphere of the World Cup to the Sultanate of Oman, drawing thousands of visitors daily to watch matches, participate in activities and enjoy accompanying events in a family-friendly atmosphere.

“A perfect blend of entertainment and sport-related activities proved to be the festival’s greatest asset, and the reaction from the fans has been far greater than we expected,” he added.

Hashil bin Obaid al Mahrouqi, CEO of Omran Group, reiterated that sports “has always been one of the main factors that contribute to enriching the tourism sector and maximising the benefit from the tourism potentials that the sultanate enjoys”.

“This historic hosting of the World Cup in the region, coupled with the popularity of football in Oman, drove us to organise this unique festival that brought together a family and sporting event in one. We are happy with the great turnout we got daily and for the thoroughly enjoyable atmosphere that it had created.”

While designing and implementing the festival, the Steering Committee of the World Cup Programme was keen to involve small and medium enterprises (SMEs) so as to help them gain some benefits from this event. It paved the way for more than 90 SMEs to participate at various stages in organising several fun events, entertainment activities, and operating stalls at the Food Zone – all of which received a great response from the participants and visitors alike, the organisers said.

The Football Fan Festival was divided into several zones, each catering to one core aspect of the celebrations, starting with the Sponsors Zone, followed by the ‘Food zone’ showcasing cuisine and tastes from all corners of the globe. Two ‘Activity Zones’ that featured over 22 interactive football-themed mini-games and a dedicated five-a-side football pitch, as well as the ‘Football Theatre’ with giant screens where all the 64 matches of the World Cup were broadcast live.

A special e-Sports Tournament was also organised in partnership with Golden Joystick, which saw the participation of over 140 gamers from across the country and had the final broadcast live on the big arena screen on December 18. Taking the cup at the tournament was Farhar al Kindi, with Saleh al Ghasani and Wisam al Rawahi coming in second and third place, respectively.

In addition, the festival sponsored and hosted the award ceremony of the Football Fan Festival Championship for Students of Muscat Governorate Schools 2022. The tournament was organised in collaboration with the Directorate General of Education in the Governorate of Muscat. Ninety-six teams (960 students) from all Muscat government KS1 schools participated in that tournament.
Hai Al-Dhahir Public School lifted the trophy, with Dagmar Public School coming second and Muscat International Private School third.

“I would like to extend my thanks to all members of the Oman World Cup Programme Steering Committee, foremost among them the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth, our sponsors, all SMEs and businesses involved, the multiple teams and individuals, and the nearly 300 volunteers from Oman Tourism College and other volunteering teams and entities for their dedicated support in the organisation and operations of the festival,” said Hashil bin Obaid al Mahrouqi.

“I also extend my sincere thanks to our partners Oman Air, Oman Airports, and to the ROP, the Civil Defence and Ambulance Authority, the on-site health and safety specialists, and security guards for helping us maintain the safety and security of everyone who attended. Last but not least, I would like to thank the football fans whose dedicated participation helped make the Football Fan Festival a tremendous success. We couldn’t have done it without them.”

Over the past few days, a diversified programme of activities and events included a visit by several players of the Oman National Football Team as well as the National Youth Football Team.

In a continuation of the thrilling surprises at the festival, the audience was treated to a special performance by The Steel Music Band of the Royal Guard of Oman and a concert by singer Salah al Zadjali, who performed on the closing day of the festival.