ABOUT 10,000 people are expected at the Aviva Stadium tomorrow for a unique screening of the World Cup final.
Screens inside the stadium will show the World Cup decider between the Netherlands and Spain at a specially organised event for some Aviva customers and members of staff.
Meanwhile, thousands of Dutch and Spanish fans will gather in bars across the country, some in locations that have become homes from home for fans who want to watch the matches in the company of their fellow natives.
Crowds of Dutch supporters will descend on Sinnotts Bar beside St Stephen’s Green in Dublin, which has been the Oranje fans’ World Cup venue of choice.
Sinnotts was packed to capacity for their semi-final against Uruguay on Tuesday, but a number of locations have been organised for any fans worried about where to watch the match, said an embassy spokeswoman.
The embassy has organised a family-orientated screening of the final at the Hilton Hotel at Charlemont Place, on the southside of Dublin’s city centre. Some 150 people have already registered for the free event on the embassy’s website, and the night promises to be a tangerine-coloured festival.
“The Spanish embassy is very close to our own premises in Dublin,” said the spokeswoman, jokingly adding: “I hope we are still friends when the match is over.”
A spokeswoman for the Spanish embassy said it had been inundated with calls from anxious football fans wanting to ensure they had the best location to witness the final with their compatriots.
Spanish fans are expected to pack into the Living Room bar on Cathal Brugha Street in Dublin, which has become one of the main venues for fans since their opening match, when La Roja suffered defeat against Switzerland.
Throughout the competition, crowds of Spanish fans have also flocked to Murrays on O’Connell Street, the Barge on Charlemont Street and the Woolshed bar on Parnell Street.