UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE: We’ve updated the schedule for the final time. This shows you when the playoff matches are, leading up to the final. You can read more here.
UPDATE UPDATE: We’ve updated the schedule for this week. Check out the schedule and commentary for Week Two of the FIFA World Cup here.
UPDATE: Are you lazy and just want to watch the match at home? TV or satellite TV is the best, but we’ve also posted a quick guide to watching the World Cup online.
These are the match times in local Indian/Sri Lankan times as well as suggestions as to where to watch the football. The FIFA World Cup is in Brazil this year, about 8 hours behind us. This means that Sri Lankans (and Indians) need to watch the games late at night.
It’s not so bad. A lot of matches are played at 9:30 PM, especially in the first week of play. Just see the infographic above for the match times (in local, IST time) and some places YAMU recommends watching the beautiful game. The places open for everything are The Hilton and The Kingsbury hotels.
Where To Watch
UPDATE: It’s very new and they’re still getting the feet, but we’re ready to call Playtrix (in CR&FC, where Kamikaze used to be) the best place to watch the match. They have an HD feed, a lot of TVs (and seating built around the TVs) and individual sound boxes for each table. It’s actually amazing, Sri Lanka’s first proper sports bar. That said, there isn’t that much seating and the service/food/drinks are still booting up. What we can tell you for certain is that they have the best experience in terms of TVs and sound.
If you’re a member of a private club or invited to an embassy, those are the best places to watch in a crowd. If you’re not (we’re not) then the most reliable places are at the five star hotels. These ones are staying open to show all the matches:
At the Kingsbury you can play FIFA14 before the gameThe Kings (Kingsbury): The Kingsbury is screening all the matches at their lobby bar the Kings. They’re also offering 35% off on beverages during the World Cup. From 5-9:30 they have a FIFA 2014 gaming so you can get your video game on before the match. This is pretty awesome. (771087720).
Sports Center (Hilton): The Hilton is turning the car park next to Il Ponte into a ‘Sports Center’ and they’ll screen all the matches. This isn’t a bad space, it’s where they held Oktoberfest. (112492492).
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Cinnamon Lakeside (Lobby): The Lakeside is showing all the matches in the lobby, which is a simple way of doing things that they all should consider. (112491000).
Cheers (Cinnamon): Cheers is in the Cinnamon Grand basement. The latest match they show is at 1:30 AM, anything later is to be confirmed. (112437437).
It should also be a lot of fun to watch the 9:30 and midnight matches at restaurants like Cricket Club, Santore, Cheers, La Fiesta, Curve, etc. Bavarian is good for the German games, Bijou’s (Negombo) for the Swiss and 7 Degrees and Manchester are good for anything.
Besides that the best place to watch is at home. We recommend getting some beers and ordering Harpo’s pizza using the YAMU app.
When To Watch
If You’re Not That Into Football (Final And Semi-Finals)
UPDATE: Our predictions were all wrong.
The Final is on Sunday July 13th at 12:30 AM (AKA midnight). It will be Brazil vs… Spain. This will be showing everywhere.
The Semi-Finals are on Tuesday July 8th and Wednesday the 9th at 1:30 AM. This will probably be showing everywhere. It will be Brazil, Spain, England and… Uruguay.
These matches are all worth watching even if you’re not a regular football fan. I mean, we don’t put humans on the moon anymore, this is when everybody in the world gets together.
If You Can Get Into It (Quarterfinals)
The final bracketThe Quarterfinals are on Friday July 4th and Saturday the 5th. It’s two matches per night (9:30 PM and 1:30 AM). It’s on a weekend so you can watch these.
If You’re Kinda Into It (Round Of 16)
The Round Of 16 matches run from Saturday June 28th to Tuesday July 1st. Each night there’s a match at 9:30 PM and 1:30 AM. Again, these times makes it watchable, especially over the weekends.
If You’re Really Into It (Group Stage)
The Group Stage matches run from Thursday June 12th to Thursday June 26th. The usual times are 9:30 PM, 00:30 AM, and 3:30 AM, with some variation. These are for the hardcore. If you’re into we recommend checking out the excellent FIFA site for the schedule. Some notable matches:
Week One
Brazil Vs. Croatia (Thursday June 12th, 1:30 AM) – This is the first match of the tournament and it features the host. Probably worth a watch. The Hilton has Brazilian food and festivities, and it’s open.
Samuel Eto’oMexico Vs. Cameroon (Friday June 13th, 9:30 PM) – It’s always fun to watch the African and Latin American teams play, here you get both. Watch for Samuel Eto’o. La Fiesta is a Mexican restaurant on Chatham Street with an ample adjoining bar. In lieu of any African restaurants, this would be the spot.
Spain Vs. Netherlands (Friday June 13th, 00:30 AM) – This is a rematch of the 2010 final. It’s a late match but a big one raw talent wise. The Manchester near Independence Square is a busy pub for it.
Germany Vs. Portugal (Monday June 16th, 9:30 PM) – These are two powerhouse teams with star players. Their TVs aren’t huge, but the German food is amazing at Bavarian.
Brazil Vs. Mexico (Tuesday June 17th, 00:30 AM) – Why not, home team, Latin American play, should be interesting. Cheers in the Cinnamon Grand should be a happening spot.
Week Two
Cameroon Vs. Brazil (Monday June 23rd, 01:30 AM) – Is it time for Africa? Probably not. Should be an interesting game.
We’ll update ad a weekly infographic and guide each, well, week until the finals. At that point there should be public screenings and Sri Lankans will watch the match along with billions worldwide.
Note that if you follow a particular country or player you’d want to watch those matches. Use the FIFA site to find those times.
Update
Hat tip to Saajid Reyaz for sending us this, a World Cup Sleep Schedule. It lets you plan out when to sleep and when to nap to make the most of your World Cup experience.
The previous week’s schedule
