Berlin seriously dropped the ball for this year’s FIFA World Cup. Although the city’s official government portal Berlin.de had previously announced a fan mile on Straße des 17. Juni between Brandenburger Tor Gate and the Victory Column, the website now states that no such zone is planned for this year’s championships.
The ‘correction’ is simply due to the fact that no one got the ball rolling; “we did not receive an application”, an official spokesperson told Tagespiegel reporters. As public viewing events under the Brandenburg Gate tend to be organised privately, the consequence of no application is that the fan zone will simply not happen.
The fan mile was traditionally held on Straße des 17. Juni during all UEFA and FIFA championships since 2006, with the exception of 2021 and 2022, when it was prevented by Covid and the winter season respectively. It used to be organised by the KIT Group private event company until 2018, and was coordinated by the state-owned Kulturprojekte Berlin in 2024.
The only options for watching this year’s championships outside are at bars and restaurants; a legal exemption will allow venues to broadcast games starting at or before 10pm at outdoor dining areas despite Ruhezeit. Due to time zone differences with North America, most matches this year will begin in the evening or at night, between 6pm and 6am.
The lack of an official fan zone at Brandenburger Tor for the World Championships comes at a time when Governing Mayor Kai Wegner and his CDU party want Berlin to host the Olympics in 2036, 2040 or 2044. The city’s inability to provide a designated fan zone with a few big screens for the World Cup puts into question how capable it would be of hosting a similar event.
