By Mai Akkad

Next week, FC Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain will compete for a spot in the UEFA Champions League semi-finals. Because both teams have local connections – Barca is a partner of Qatar Foundation and PSG is Qatari-owned – interest in the matches here is expected to be high.

The Doha Golf Club, Champions at the Courtyard Marriott, as well as Mashrabiya at Souq Waqif and Aroma next to the Jaidah flyover are expected to screen the games for fans.

QF is also holding a series of competitions to send fans to the matches.

The first competition, which starts at 5pm today and runs through the next 48 hours, offers a winner and a friend a free flight to Barcelona, and then a chance to travel with the FCB team to Paris to watch the first leg of the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals at PSG’s Parc des Princes stadium.

Contest details

To enter, design a photomontage that illustrates the partnership between Qatar Foundation and FC Barcelona, with an emphasis on human development. The competition will be hosted through Qatar Foundation’s FCB Facebook page.

The second competition starts on April 2, the evening of the first leg of the Barca vs. PSG match. A public ‘fan zone,’ whose location is still to be determined, will be set up to screen the match. Fans will be invited to guess the correct time of the first goal scored in the live game. The contestant whose guess is closest to the right answer will win two tickets to travel to Camp Nou to watch the second leg of the FCB vs. PSG match on April 10.

The third competition will be held the evening of that match, with another fan zone, game screening and a similar program of competitions. This time, attendees will be offered the chance to win two tickets to a Primera Liga match at Camp Nou.

Are you planning to try for tickets or watch the games?

Credit: Photo courtesy of FC Barcelona on Facebook

Note: This article’s headline has been amended to reflect that the teams are competing for a spot in the semi-finals.