At least a dozen Catalan municipalities will install giant screens for Spain's World Cup semi-final against France on Tuesday 14 July, according to the news agency EFE, giving residents across the Barcelona area organised places to watch the match close to home.

That matters for local supporters because Barcelona city itself does not plan to put up screens for the semi-final. Instead, neighbouring councils including Badalona, Mataró, Sabadell, Terrassa, Castelldefels, Gavà, El Prat, Rubí and Santa Coloma de Gramenet have either confirmed screenings or were listed by EFE as municipalities already planning them.

Which councils have confirmed giant screens

EFE reported on 12 July that at least 12 Catalan municipalities had announced public screenings for the Spain v France semi-final. In the Barcelona area, the councils named were:

  • Badalona City Council: Plaza del President Tarradellas, in the Gorg neighbourhood.
  • Mataró City Council: the Parc Central sports court.
  • Sabadell City Council: Parc de Catalunya.
  • Terrassa City Council: the city will again install a screen after doing so for the quarter-final.
  • Castelldefels, Gavà, El Prat, Rubí and Santa Coloma de Gramenet: listed by EFE among municipalities that had already said they would provide the service.

Outside the Barcelona province, EFE said Vila-seca, Salou and Tarragona city had also confirmed public screenings. In Tarragona, the match will be shown in Parc del Francolí.

"The Ayuntamiento de Badalona confirmed this Saturday that it will provide a screen in plaza del President Tarradellas, in the Gorg neighbourhood, to broadcast the event," EFE reported on 12 July.

For Sabadell, a separate report by Diari Catalunya said the Sabadell City Council is installing its screen in Parc de Catalunya for the semi-final between Spain and France.

In Mataró, EFE said supporters will be able to gather at the Parc Central court, where local interest is likely to be heightened by links to Spain winger Lamine Yamal, who was raised in the city's Rocafonda neighbourhood.

Terrassa also has a direct local connection. EFE noted that the co-capital of Vallès Occidental has two players from the city in the Spain squad, Dani Olmo and Marc Pubill.

Barcelona city will wait for the final

Barcelona City Council has not announced giant screens for the semi-final. According to EFE, the council confirmed weeks ago that it will install a screen for the World Cup final, whether Spain qualify or not.

That position matches statements made in April by David Escudé, the councillor for sport at Barcelona City Council. Reporting by La Vanguardia and Metrópoli Abierta said Escudé confirmed there would be a giant screen for the final on 19 July, though the location had not yet been decided.

Escudé said the final screening would go ahead "regardless of which teams" play it, according to reporting on the municipal commission session.

La Vanguardia reported that plaza Catalunya has been the usual location for similar screenings in the past, but said no final site had been fixed at that stage.

What residents should know before Tuesday

For people in Barcelona who want to watch the match in a public space, the practical effect is that they may need to travel to another municipality because the city council is not planning a semi-final screening.

Residents in Badalona, Mataró and Sabadell already have named venues confirmed by their councils or by EFE's municipal list. In other municipalities mentioned by EFE, the agency report confirms the screenings but does not give the exact site in every case.

  • Match: Spain v France, World Cup semi-final
  • Date: Tuesday 14 July
  • Barcelona city: no giant screen planned for the semi-final
  • Barcelona final plan: giant screen confirmed for the final on 19 July

Residents should check their own council's official channels for access conditions, start times and any capacity limits, as the source material confirms the screenings but does not set out operating details for each site.

Reported by Source Text Link, Por Newsroom Infobae Agregar Infobae en Agrega Infobae a tus medios preferidos en Google, Pere Roca Soler, Carlos Márquez Daniel, Andoni Berná, Miguel Poblet Miguel Poblet Creada: 09.07.2024 11:39 Última actualización: 09.07.2024 11:57, Iván Dacal, infobae.com, Ángel Pérez, C. Verastegui, Europa Press, fifa.com, flashscore.com, independent.co.uk, foxsports.com.au, olympics.com, Metrópoli Abierta - Urban Life.