How Sports Fans in Dubai can Enjoy the NFL
Dubai is a nation known across the world for its love of thoroughbred horse racing, with the Dubai Gold Cup being one of the standout fixtures on the calendar for followers of the sport of kings. Horse racing isn’t the only sport that is big in Dubai, with interest growing in several western favourites, including both types of football.
If you are inexperienced in American Football and Soccer, you’d be forgiven for thinking they are the same sport. Most European nations, including the United Kingdom, have soccer as their number one sport but refer to the game as football. That’s not surprising as the game is played with the ball spending most of the time at the feet of players. American Football is referred to in America and Canada as football, despite the ball spending most of the game in the hands of players. Clear? No, us either.
From November to December 2022, the soccer World Cup will be played in Qatar when some of the sport’s biggest teams will descend on the region, hoping to be crowned champions of the world. It promises to be a monumental event for Qatar and the surrounding nations but, in this article, we focus on the other football – American Football. Read on to find out why the NFL is growing in popularity in Dubai, which teams are expected to enjoy success in the 2021/22 season and how you can watch games for free at the leading football betting apps.
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NFL is on the up in Dubai
Dubai has long been regarded as a nation of sports lovers, with the most popular sports being horse racing, golf, tennis, motorsports and cricket. In recent years, we’ve seen a spike in the American Football viewing figures as armchair fans become avid followers of the NFL. With more matches from the regular season, playoffs and the Super Bowl than ever before the show on television, this interest comes as no surprise. Major television stations are screening NFL matches live or highlights from the latest round of games.
TV isn’t the only way to keep up to speed with the NFL, of course. Advancements in technology have paved the way for live streams to join, offering viewers and football fans a new way to follow their favourite players and teams. These live streams are available at major online betting apps, including the world’s largest sportsbooks. NFL live streams are HD quality with crystal clear sound, exciting camera angles, expert commentary from former players and pundits, as well as up to date live scores and stats from other games being played across the United States.
In recent years we have seen the NFL go on the road, leaving America and taking the game to their international fans via a world tour. Wembley Stadium in London ranks as the most popular “away match” for teams with the newly built Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, home of Premier League soccer club Spurs, recently getting involved. London grew from one NFL match a season to two by popular demand. The interest is there, and NFL organisers are open to the idea of travel. Could we see the best teams, like the New England Patriots and the Buffalo Bills, come to Dubai?
There is certainly the interest to host an American Football match according to fan numbers, the stadiums capable of putting on a major show like the NFL are built and ready to go, and, of course, sports promoters in Dubai have shown many times in the past that money is no object to staging an event. Follower of the NFL are excited, and if they aren’t yet, they soon will be as the idea gathers support.
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Tampa Bay tipped for success
New to the NFL? The team to look out for this season is the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who have been tipped for success. They are the pundits’ pick to win the Super Bowl – played on February 2022 – and their results so far go some way to backing up the hype.
Others worth keeping an eye on are the Kansas City Chiefs, who are expected to be the main danger, ahead of the Arizona Cardinals and Buffalo Bills, two teams that are dark horses but have the talent to cause an upset.