It can be one of the best games of the World Cup, but hardly anyone can watch it!
In the quarterfinals on Friday morning, the soccer players from Spain will meet those from the Netherlands. Both teams have impressed with great attacking football. This can become a game for real connoisseurs. However: The kick-off time surprised the fans! The kick-off will be at 1 p.m. local time in Wellington, New Zealand. In Spain and the Netherlands, the game is played at 3 a.m.!
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At first glance, one solution seems obvious: if Spain and the Netherlands played in New Zealand in the evening, the game could at least be broadcast in the two football-crazy countries at noon. But that is not possible.
The background: Fifa gambled when creating the game plan – namely that world champion USA wins its preliminary round group and so on through the World Cup. Therefore, the USA’s potential knockout games have been rescheduled for prime-time times in North America. The quarter-finals with the USA, for example, would have flickered across the screens at 9 p.m. in New York and at 6 p.m. in Los Angeles.
When asked by BILD, Fifa responded as follows: “Fifa takes several factors into account when determining a game plan, including kick-off times for local and global audiences. It is important, where possible, to schedule matches at times that support the development and accessibility of the sport worldwide, given the global nature and interest in Fifa’s top tournaments.”
What does that mean? The USA pays the largest share of the television rights to FIFA. According to reports, just as much or even slightly more than all other TV markets combined. And: At the time the schedule was drawn up, there had not yet been an agreement on the TV rights with the major European countries – such as Germany. This made the importance of the American market even more important for Fifa.
However, the sport is not predictable. The Netherlands finished first in the preliminary round, the USA only second. So our neighbors had to play their round of 16 against South Africa at 4am Dutch time.
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Source: PICTURE 08/10/2023
In theory, it would have been better for the broadcast times in the respective countries to swap kick-off times for the knockout games at short notice. But Fifa didn’t do that because of organizational problems. Fans’ itineraries, on-site security concepts and contracts with external companies such as caterers were fixed for the long term and could not be changed quickly.
For example, fans in the Netherlands and Spain now have to get up early to see their teams progress to the semi-finals.
2023-08-10 23:18:30
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