How do you entertain 3.4 million football fans... when the football is not on?

There were 8 stadiums at the World Cup in Qatar 2022. We were asked to create a fan experience for each one to keep fans engaged before and after matches. Oh, and there’d be no alcohol to help us do that too.

We discovered each of the 8 stadiums had its own cultural and architectural backdrop that we could draw inspiration from, plus, football already has more than enough atmosphere, excitement and fun baked into it. So we knew that if we could create interactive and compelling installations, reflecting the heritage of every stadium, they would each become a destination in itself pre and post-match.

Our minds were blown by the settings of each stadium and of Qatar itself. We created 8 unique site experiences, with each stadium telling its own cultural story.

We depicted cultural patterns and tapestries, revealed a Qatari garb representing life’s journey, and created a stunning installation that demonstrated the Persian Gulf waters in silhouette... 56 individual installations were created.

However, visual appearance was only part of it. This was nothing if not a show. We combined live performers, DJs, installations with work from local artists and vendors to ensure that local culture and tastes were fully to the fore. Fans danced together at the DJ booths, embodying FIFA’s mantra that “Football unites the world”. And the VIP entrances went from grey concrete to lushly carpeted, picture-perfect foyers ready for Royalty.

The installations became the backdrops for media, live streams and millions of Instagram moments. It’s safe to say selfies were taken.