CAIRO —The 2022 FIFA World Cup hosted by Qatar from Nov. 20 to Dec. 18 has increased the revenues of cafes in Egypt, as many soccer fans watch the games in public rather than at home because of the high subscription cost to the Qatari-owned beIN Sports channel, the official broadcaster of the World Cup in the Middle East and North Africa.
Mohammad Farid, owner of a cafe in Cairo, told Al-Monitor, “I was keen on preparing the cafe that can accommodate up to 150 people, days before the World Cup kicked off by adding more chairs and big screens, and purchasing the World Cup bundle offered by beIN Sports.”