The FIFA World Cup 2018 will have its kickoff in two days. But, will there be public screenings in Paris? What about the area in front of Hotel de Ville (City Hall)?
During the FIFA World Cup in 2014 and during Euro 2016 big screens were placed in front of Hotel de Ville in the heart of Paris, and thousands of people gathered to watch the matches. But, the world isn’t as easy as it once was, and due to terrorist attacks and terrorist threats, very strict rules have been made when it comes to showing football matches on outdoor areas in Paris.
An official from the ministry have said: “I remind all publicly-elected officials of the fact that ‘big screen’ zones are completely forbidden in public spaces.” This is quite similar to what’s going on in Brussels, where public screenings have been banned, but there are some exceptions. And, there might be some exceptions in Paris as well.
During the European Championship in 2016, there were dedicated fan zones in the ten “host” cities in France. These were all heavily guarded and protected, and thus they managed to keep terrorist attacks away. But, this time there will be no official places guarded and protected, and thus local event managers will have to do the job themselves if they want to have a public screening somewhere. But, not only will they have to arrange with the security, protection, controls, and guards, but they will also have to pay the bill for the entire program themselves. And, that will be a tough nut to crack, and for that reason, we do not expect there to be public screenings of the FIFA World Cup outdoors in Paris.
But, if you really want to watch the FIFA World Cup with friends in Paris, why not visit a pub instead? There are quite a lot of sports-bars in Paris, and beneath you can find the name and website of some good places you could go.
- The Lions
- Le Bombardier
- The Coq and Bulldog
- Cafe Oz
- Café Titon
- Kiez Biergarten
These could be good options if you want to watch the World Cup in Paris. The matches will be broadcasted mostly by TF1 in France, meaning that you can also watch them on the TV in your hotel room.
You can find a full World Cup schedule right here. If you want more instructions on how you could possibly stream the matches on the Internet (if you want to watch it on BBC/ITV in the UK instead of TF1 in France), check this site.
When will France play?
France will play their first match in the FIFA World Cup against Australia on June 16th (in four days from now). They will then play against Peru on June 21st, and their last group stage match will be against Denmark on June 26th. They have ended up in a tough group, and especially Denmark and Peru should be considered tough opponents. Neither of the teams has lost in more than 10 matches, but that might have changed before France will play against the teams on June 21st and June 26th. Denmark will play against Peru on June 16th, so that will be an interesting match to follow for those looking to watch some great football matches.
