Eye of the storm: the Lusail Stadium, a venue for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 (Nick Potts/PA)
(Picture: PA Archive)World Cup fever is making its rounds this winter — but not everyone wants to catch it. Protests have been mounting against the treatment of migrant workers and anti-LGBTQ+ laws of the host country, and some fans are choosing to skip this year’s matches. Although FIFA boss Gianni Infantino jumped to defend Qatar against the moral objections audiences have had, there are still many avoiding the 2022 games.
Short of taking a month-long staycation at home, the football talk can feel tricky to avoid. Still, from now until things finally conclude on December 18, there’s still plenty on elsewhere. London is nothing if not the city of choice. Here’s what you can get up to across town during the World Cup.
If the match is on a Monday…
Whether or not it’s coming home — predictably, the hashtag is already trending — talk of England’s early victory is everywhere. Replace the baiting fan-chants with an immersive cocktail experience at Avora (Rosewood Building, Hackney Road, E2 8GY, avora-experience.co.uk; tickets from £40). The space-nature-themed Hackney scene is a pick-me-up for those who work weekends (or not).
Another themed experience to lift your week could start at the Alice in Wonderland themed VR escape room (Box Park, Wembley HA9 0JT, meetspacevr.co.uk; £60 per person). The virtual reimagining of Lewis Carroll’s famously winding world is a puzzling time by Wembley’s BoxPark and a world away from the football stadiums of FIFA.
If the match is on a Tuesday…
TT Cinema have long hosted vintage cinema screenings and on Tuesdays, £29 buys two tickets and two cocktails (17b Kingsland Rd, E2 8AA, ttliquor.co.uk). The independent cinema has a range of cult classics or golden oldies with this deal so it should make a perfect distraction from the England vs Wales match (Nov 29) and the semi-finals next month (Dec 13).
If the match is on a Wednesday…
Timothy Chalamet’s romantic horror Bones and All is out on Wednesday November 23, and has already proven a hit in the US. But next month, the second semi-final falling on December 14 might be easily replaced with any of the wintry traditions around the city, like attending the Royal Opera House’s The Nutcracker (Bow St, WC2E 9DD, roh.org.uk; tickets from £20) or trailing the best Christmas markets.
If the match is on a Thursday…
Kicking off December with a boom(bayah) is BLACKPINK in concert at the O2 (Dec 1) for their Born Pink tour (Peninsula Square, SE10 0DX, theo2.co.uk). But if you’re not ready for that electronic pop intensity, Mo Gilligan brings a different type of energy to the stage in Mo Gilligan and Friends – The Black British Takeover at the O2 (Dec 8) (theo2.co.uk/events; tickets from £25).
Matilda the Musical (Earlham St, London WC2H 9HU, matildathemusical.com; tickets from £10) is another show best seen after Wednesday — not for the after-school club nostalgia, but because Wednesday evening performances have been replaced by Thursday matinees around the World Cup period. Concessions for 16 to 25-year-olds include £10 tickets available from the Cambridge Theatre Box Office on the day, at their discretion.
If the match is on a Friday…
Christmas at Kew (Royal Botanical Gardens Kew, Richmond, TW9 3JR, kew.org/kew-gardens; tickets from £21.50) has already begun, running all the way into January. View the sparkling lights meeting the natural world and Kew’s winter fairground, with the option of a Christmas dinner at The Botanical. Other than an early close on Christmas eve, the Gardens have last entry at 8.20pm and close at 10pm. Another classic winter pastime is Winter Wonderland (Hyde Park, hydeparkwinterwonderland.com; off-peak entrance is free) open already and running until January 2.
Friday November 25 is England vs USA — but you don’t want to hear about that. Instead, start laying foundations for your Christmas spirit at the opening night of the operatic version of It’s a Wonderful Life, (St Martin’s Lane, WC2N 4ES, eno.org; tickets from £25) based on the 1946 Frank Capra film. Taking this winter classic up an octave, the London Coliseum is showing this adaptation until December 10.
If the match is on a Saturday…
Wait until the weekend to traipse galleries and stay warm indoors. Members go free at The New Black Vanguard art show, the exhibition to see this winter showcasing black fashion photography at its best (Duke of York’s HQ, King’s Rd, London SW3 4RY, saatchigallery.com; tickets from £5). Curator Antwaun Sargent tracks the journey of fashion and art across continents and time at Saatchi Gallery until January 22 2023. For regular gallery-goers tickets are £10 and concessions are £5.
If at this point you’re craving commentary, you can have your sports fill with the England rugby match against South Africa (Nov 26) at Twickenham (200 Whitton Road, TW2 7BA, twickenhamstadium.com; tickets from £130).
If the match is on a Sunday…
As much as you cannot avoid the water cooler celebrations (or commiserations) on Monday after the World Cup final, you can do your best to provide some other topics of conversation. For one, Avatar: The Way of Water is out on December 16. It may be best to avoid the intensity of fans who have waited 13 years for its release, so delay your viewing to coincide with the World Cup finals on Sunday.
Another way to escape reality is at Tate Britain’s Lynette Yiadom-Boakye exhibition (Millbank, SW1P 4RG, tate.org.uk; tickets are £16) where the British artist depicts fictitious people from her imagination in around 80 works since 2003. What might be called a “deja-who?” feeling of recognising faces never seen before should prove a great distraction from the sports buzz outside.
