Tens Of Thousands Of Minsk Residents Watched The World Cup Final Away From Home

• 20.07.2026, 12:27

More than 22,000 people gathered at Dynamo Stadium alone.

The World Cup final between Spain and Argentina (1–0) and a warm summer evening in Minsk turned the city center into a veritable throng. Thousands of Minsk residents decided to watch the biggest game of the quadrennium away from home, writes smartpress.by.

“We got here in the afternoon; we’ve been hanging out here since around 12 or 1 p.m.,” the guys said. “We knew there weren’t that many tables, and there would be a huge crowd wanting to watch the final—so we made sure to get here early.”

The stands were already packed an hour before the match. Despite complaints about parking and food stands being moved outside the stadium grounds, almost no one left. During the match, the crowd created such a powerful din that residents of nearby homes were probably glad there was only one goal—and that it came in extra time.

The metro, whose hours the city authorities had thoughtfully extended until 1:00 a.m., didn’t quite save the day. The final ended at 1:06 a.m. Some fans, not wanting to miss the climax, left early and watched the rest of the match on their phones on the way home. Those who stayed until the end and didn’t have their own cars then waited a very long time for a taxi. “I’m 358th in line on the app… How about you?”—that phrase was heard very often that night.

Delivery services were just as busy. Those who stayed home and were counting on “snacks to go with the soccer” ran into apps freezing, payment issues, and messages saying “delivery may take up to 120 minutes.”