The Football Association of Wales has suggested that fans wanting to watch Wales play in their first World Cup in 64 years won't be able to do so in dedicated fan zones, with cultural events celebrating the Welsh language and the arts given priority.
The tournament is less than two months away, with Rob Page's side making their first appearance at a finals since 1958, and thousands of Welsh fans are set to make the journey to Qatar to cheer them on. You can get the latest Wales football team news sent straight to your inbox by signing up to our new Don't Take Me Home newsletter.
For those of the Red Wall following from home, however, there is unlikely to be any repeat of the scenes we saw across Wales during Euro 2016, with large-scale fan zones not in the FAW's plans. Cardiff and Swansea councils have also not yet announced any plans for events for fans to watch the games, with the winter weather being taken into consideration.
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Earlier this week, economy minister Vaughan Gething announced a huge £1.8million fund to support a range of World Cup projects, including cultural festivals in Wales and the USA, a new Welsh football museum in Wrexham and several events to promote the Welsh language. Mr Gething added that the fund will help "promote Wales, project our values of inclusivity and diversity, ensure the safety of Welsh people at the tournament, and secure a positive and lasting legacy from our participation at the tournament."
The FAW has also revealed its plans to celebrate the tournament back home, with huge art installations depicting the iconic bucket hats worn by Welsh fans set to appear across the country during the World Cup. The 10x10ft installations, which will light at up night, will be erected in Cardiff's Central Square as well as locations in Swansea, Aberystwyth, Bangor and Wrexham.
Addressing a meeting of Cardiff Breakfast Club on Wednesday, September 28, chief executive Noel Mooney said the FAW was focusing on celebrating creativity and the arts, as well as the Welsh language and culture, during the tournament in Qatar, with its 10-day Gwyl Cymru Festival held at venues across Wales. He added that the association will be "doing something very different," with these cultural events taking priority over mass fan zones, and grassroots venues instead being invited to stage their own events as part of a united front of support.
“We could have had big fans zones in say the Cardiff City Stadium or the Cardiff International Arena (formerly the Motorpoint) where people could enjoy watching games and having a pint, but this is not the brand and engagement that we are aiming to build," said Mr Mooney. "What is very important to us is creativity, the arts, the Welsh language, culture, music, etc.
"So, we will be doing something very different in places like the Chapter Arts Centre in Cardiff and Pontio in Bangor. We will have 20 hubs and hundreds of places across Wales where we are going to celebrate our language, music, history, creativity, etc, and the Arts Council of Wales has got right behind it. Celebrating the language and the arts of the country plays beautifully into what the Welsh Government is trying to do with a million Welsh speakers by 2050."
Both Cardiff and Swansea councils are also yet to announce any large-scale events for fans to watch Wales games back home, although the latter has said it is "considering all options". The November and December weather, combined with kick-off times, may mean fan zone events like those seen during Wales' historic Euro 2016 campaign prove difficult to organise.
WalesOnline understands there will be no large official fan zones in the capital as things stand. Meanwhile, a Swansea Council spokesperson said: “We’re considering all options and really want to see fans cheer on Wales in the World Cup. The November and December weather will be a key consideration in any decision.”
The FAW's Gwyl Cymru Festival will start on November 19, two days before Wales' first World Cup match in 64 years, with the event "aiming to unify and amplify the wealth of arts, music and events being created for Cymru’s historic World Cup journey – in locations across Wales and beyond."
At the centre of the festival will be independent grassroots venues, with football clubs, community organisations and local venues, among others, now being invited to start planning their own events for the festival in the hope of creating a lasting cultural legacy to Wales' World Cup appearance. Cultural events, other than staging coverage of Wales matches on TV, could include music performances, comedy nights, film screenings, children's activities, literary sessions or art workshops.
During the group stages, Wales face USA on November 21, then Iran on November 25 before a final clash against old rivals England on November 29. They must finish in the top two in Group B to enter the knockout stages, where they could face the Netherlands, Senegal, Ecuador or hosts Qatar.
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