Despite the early hour, there was no room in many places for Austria’s final group game against Algeria. As opposed to starting at 4am at 9pm. still seems like a much more appropriate time for public viewing. This means the Round of 16 match against Spain could also be one of the biggest public viewing events of this World Cup.
In any case, there was already a big rush in advance. Tickets are “currently unavailable,” the ÖFB, which is opening its stadium on the ÖFB campus in Vienna Seestadt for the round of 16, said on Wednesday.
Full stadiums in Salzburg and Linz
The picture is similar with other major public viewing providers such as Bundesliga club Red Bull Salzburg, which will broadcast the game on two large LED screens at the stadium. “Despite increased capacity” compared to the group game against Argentina, it was initially said: “Fully booked!” All 4,000 tickets are sold out” – more about this on the website salzburg.ORF.at.
APA/Max Slovencik
The start of the World Cup against Jordan also meant an early start, starting at 5am.
For the second time at the current World Cup, Linz AG Eisarena is once again opening its doors to football fans. At the Argentina game, the public viewing allowed for 1,000 people was quickly cancelled.
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“Unfortunately, there is no football”
In general, many public screenings have been canceled this year because a significant portion of the games are taking place well after curfew. In Vienna, this also affected some of the city’s previous public sites: Rathausplatz and Prater.
“Unfortunately, there is no football,” said the Herrmann beach bar on the Danube Canal, another popular viewing spot in Vienna. There was also a recommendation to “watch games on a local host.” As can be seen from the Chamber of Commerce’s list using Vienna as an example, there were and are several places where football fans can go and watch together.
APA-Images/Press Photo Sharinger/Daniel Sharinger
The match against Argentina started at 19:00.
The crowd was particularly large during the pre-programmed match against Argentina, where, unlike the other two group stage games, the game could be seen at the optimal time of 7:00 pm. Throughout Austria, thousands of fans watched the game in cafes, pubs and hotels, as well as in many village and town squares.
Following much public interest in previous games, access restrictions were introduced in some cases and new venues were created in others for the game against Spain. “It was absolutely surprising that there were so many of them,” said the Viennese innkeeper, who this time has access only by ticket – more about this on the website wien.ORF.at.
Game in Algeria as a “silent game” without sound
This time, the scene on the lake in Mörbisch, where thousands of visitors gathered to watch Argentina’s football match, is no longer there. When asked whether there would be a repeat, Facebook responded that “no further public viewing is planned.”
After the initial anticipation of the Jordan game, the promotion-crucial game against Algeria also showed that public viewing also works at unusual times, be it in a coffee shop with melange and croissants or in public places, including in Klagenfurt, as a “silent game” without sound – more on this at kaernten.ORF.at.
Wels, Hartberg and Knittelfeld
And this time there are plenty of opportunities to watch the game in public throughout Austria. In Upper Austria, for example, there is a large public viewing area in the town square in Wels, in Linz, among other places, in the restaurant at the Donauparkstadion and between the Brucknerhaus and Lentos – more about this at ooe.ORF.at.
In Styria, the main squares of Hartberg, Knittelfeld and Leoben are among the most popular places to watch sports. There are others in Liezen on the summer stage in the area of the ice skating rink, at the Austro-Vinyl factory in Fering, in the city park in Trofayach and in the Rintpark in Fronleiten – more about this at steiermark.ORF.at. Cinemas will also be showing the match on the big screen, and Cineplexx has organized public screenings in twelve locations across Austria.
If you prefer something more comfortable, you can sit at home in front of the TV. To ensure anyone could watch the game, even federal President Alexander Van der Bellen came forward and urged parents to make an “exception” for their children on Thursday.