02 Dec 2025
Around 32,000 people enjoyed the Aspire Academy Fan Zone, which was part of the festivities surrounding the ongoing FIFA Under-17 World Cup.
The Fan Zone, based at Aspire Park and launched on 9 November, was open daily from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m., running until the evening of the Under-17 World Cup final on 27 November.
The area offered a fun and interactive experience for all and the chance to win prizes, with at least 1,000 people taking part each day, with more than 3,000 attending on Thursday, 13 November.
Visitors put their footballing skills to the test across six exciting challenges designed to measure their power, accuracy, agility, and jumping ability—and win prizes.
Aspire Academy’s Acting Marketing and Communication Director, Muneera Mohammed Hammam, said it was important for the Academy to mark such a landmark event.
“We want to thank everyone for coming to the Fan Zone and all those who watched the tournament at Aspire Academy, and we are sure that they all had some fun as they tested their own footballing skills.”
“We are already planning on how to improve things for next year and look forward to welcoming even more fans in 2026 to have some fun and put their football skills to the test.”
“We are proud of the part that Aspire Academy played in this historical FIFA Under-17 World Cup, which was a moment of history for Aspire Academy, as we hosted 103 of the 104 matches at the finals,” she said.
“This was the first time a single venue like ours has hosted an entire World Cup football tournament; all the matches were played on Aspire Academy pitches, except November 27th’s final, which will be held at the neighbouring Khalifa International Stadium.”
“Not only did we successfully host this newly expanded event, but Aspire Academy was incredibly proud that the entire Qatar squad for the tournament trained at Aspire Academy.”
“11 of the players have now returned to the Academy as student-athletes, and another six will continue their journey after graduating in June.”
The highly successful 2025 edition of the FIFA Under-17 World Cup was the first of five that Qatar will host as the event becomes annual rather than biennial.