Fans, businesses and CCs gear up for football fever

With friendly kick-off times, crowds are expected at live screenings of World Cup games

Far left: Nigeria's Alex Iwobi taking selfies with fans at the team's first training session at Essentuki Arena in southern Russia on Tuesday. Left: The German team arriving at Moscow's Vnukovo International Airport on Tuesday. People posing for pict
People posing for pictures with Zabivaka, the official mascot of the 2018 Fifa World Cup, next to St Petersburg’s stadium last Friday. PHOTO: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Far left: Nigeria's Alex Iwobi taking selfies with fans at the team's first training session at Essentuki Arena in southern Russia on Tuesday. Left: The German team arriving at Moscow's Vnukovo International Airport on Tuesday. People posing for pict
Far left: Nigeria’s Alex Iwobi taking selfies with fans at the team’s first training session at Essentuki Arena in southern Russia on Tuesday.
PHOTO: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Far left: Nigeria's Alex Iwobi taking selfies with fans at the team's first training session at Essentuki Arena in southern Russia on Tuesday. Left: The German team arriving at Moscow's Vnukovo International Airport on Tuesday. People posing for pict
The German team arriving at Moscow’s Vnukovo International Airport on Tuesday. PHOTO: REUTERS
Far left: Nigeria's Alex Iwobi taking selfies with fans at the team's first training session at Essentuki Arena in southern Russia on Tuesday. Left: The German team arriving at Moscow's Vnukovo International Airport on Tuesday. People posing for pict
Constituency director Kejandran Chandra (from left), 33, volunteer Teo Soo Thye, 69, and constituency management executive Shaun Ho, 26, setting up a Subbuteo table at Pek Kio Community Centre. The CC is among those that have football-related activities lined up. ST PHOTO: JONATHAN CHOO
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The World Cup is set to kick off in Russia tonight, and although Singapore is some 8,000km away from the action, fans, businesses and community clubs here are hoping to take advantage of Singapore-friendly kick-off times to catch the action.

This year, 38 of the 64 matches will be shown before midnight, the most since the 2002 World Cup in Korea and Japan.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on June 14, 2018, with the headline Fans, businesses and CCs gear up for football fever. Subscribe