Earlier this week, some of the folk of Lidl took less than a handful of lucky Irish journalists away to a top-secret location in Frankfurt to show them the fruits of YEARS of hard work and ingenuity. When we walked first into the big warehouse, smack bang in the middle of an industrial centre, we were a little overwhelmed… and unnerved. Fifty foosball tables stood in front of us, with nobody working the controllers, yet the little players on the tiny fields were still moving and scoring goals. What the…? Here then, we present to you, the Lidl Fan Cup!

 

Right, first things first, log into Facebook on your laptop, desktop or iPad, and search for Lidl Fan Cup. The app should pop up, and is free and easy to begin playing. Just pick your country (despite not making it into the actual World Cup, Ireland is still there to be picked, hurrah!), and decide whether you want a friendly match or a tournament match. From there, it’s straight into the real time game, and straight into the best part of the game: the penalty shoot-out!

Whoever goes first, they choose the angle and speed they want their striker to hit the ball, and the other player picks the position and speed they want their goalie to go to. Each player takes each position three times, and the matches are best out of three. Simples!

No pressure, but you are representing your country in the Lidl Fan Cup (last time we checked, Ireland was 17th, juuuuuust outside of the Top 16, so we need to fix that ASAP!), and the matches will continue all the way through to the finals on July 13th, where the top two scoring countries will have the entire day to face off against each other. There’s also daily competitions for anyone who scores three points for their countries, and the league tables which show where each of the 23 teams involved are currently positioned.

From witnessing the giant undertaking from the ground floor, with six real time cameras positioned over every table, and then there’s two live cameras over the “Lidl Arena” is Frankfurt showing all fifty tables going at once, as well as a look at how each table’s matches are currently progressing, we are nothing short of in awe of how much effort and time went into this undertaking, and best of all, it’s totally FREE!

With over 100,000 games played already, and potentially millions still to go, here is literally no excuse not to be playing this game right now, and we guarantee it will be almost as addictive and fun as watching the actual World Cup. In fact, probably even more so, because Ireland are still in with a chance in this one!

For more information, and to play the game visit, the Lidl Fan Cup FB page HERE. See you on the field!