Tehran’s Azadi Stadium and several cineplexes and cinemas in the country will screen FIFA World Cup games.
Nasser Mahmoudifard, manager of Azadi Sports Complex, said a 1,200sqm monitor has been installed in front of the western wing of the stadium and it is ready to show the 2018 Russia World Cup that begins today (Thursday), ISNA reported.
While the huge monitor at the stadium will show all the World Cup games, with the opening game between host Russia and Saudi Arabia, Book Garden and other cinemas will only screen Iran’s matches, the two semifinals and the final game.
It is for the first time that all soccer fans will watch football games in cinema halls.
According to Mahmoudifard, Azadi Stadium will host families wanting to see the matches. This should create an exciting opportunity for women to enter the stadium as they are not normally allowed to come inside the stadiums. Soccer stadiums in Iran are open only to men.
10th Largest Stadium
Built in 1971, Azadi stadium has a seating capacity for 80,000 people. Largest in the Middle East, it is the venue where Esteghlal and Persepolis, the two top clubs, meet.
With the previous capacity of 100,000 people, it is now ranked 10th among the largest stadiums around the globe.
It was built especially for the 1974 Asian Games and has hosted the 1976 AFC Asian Cup. The stadium also hosted the AFC Champions League final on two occasions: in 1999 and 2002.
Other venues in Tehran including Tehran Book Garden and multiple cineplexes are also ready to bring selected matches from the World Cup series on their screens.
Built on an area of 110,000sqm, Tehran Book Garden is located next to the National Library in Abbas Abad district. The cinema halls of the garden had previously hosted families for EUFA Champions League finals.
Kourosh, Azadi, Charsou, Shahrak and Arg cineplexes as well as Mandana, Farhang, Pirouzi, Milad and Sepideh are the venues in Tehran which are selling the tickets for the Iran-Morocco match.
The national team will play its first match on Friday at Krestovsky Stadium of Saint-Petersburg AKA Zenit Arena against Morocco.
Selected cinemas in Kerman, Abadan, Kermanshah, Tabriz, Mashhad, Qom and Karaj will also show Iran’s games and the three last matches.
Team Melli shares the Group B of the World Cup with Spain, Portugal and Morocco.
