Middle East: Elevating the football season experience, Snap Inc. commissioned four regional Augmented Reality (AR) developers – Mohamad El Asmar from Oman, Maha Aldosary and friends Ibrahim Boona and Fahad Mutlaq from Saudi Arabia to create new immersive lenses for the world’s biggest sporting event, giving football fans a platform to express their enthusiasm.

Offering new dimensions for fan engagement, Snapchat is bringing football fans together so they can truly embrace the spirit of the game. These new AR lenses encourage shared content between fans allowing them to participate in the celebrations, for instance,  predict matches, experience global cultures and join the tournament countdown.

With his new lens, Mohamad aims to capture the interest of Snapchatters throughout the tournament. His prediction lens weaves in ‘Rüppell’s Sand Fox’, a beautiful fox species popular in Qatar, to predict match scores in a fun and entertaining way. On the other hand, Maha’s lens draws its context from the diversity of the participating countries and transports Snapchatters to these countries to experience and learn more about their culture. Meanwhile, friends Ibrahim and Fahad have created a lens to feature the countdown to the mondial, giving users a chance to pose and snap a photo in the stadium.

Today, the way football fans experience the game has evolved - with many fans using their phones to chat with friends, celebrate wins and access behind-the-scenes content during the 90 minutes of the game. In fact, 52 per cent of sports fans use a tablet or phone to access online sports content while watching sports on TV.

With a unique and highly engaged audience in the MENA region, 95% of Snapchatters feel positive while watching sports-related content on the app. Snapchat has become an interactive platform where fans watch, share and talk about sports. According to a research study by Alter Agents, 55 per cent use Snapchat for sharing sports-related content and connecting with others about sports.

With these creative AR lenses, Snapchat aims to empower football lovers to discover and learn more about the sport from its most passionate fans. These lenses introduce an element of excitement to the football experience, allowing millions of fans to express authentic emotions and share the spirit of football with friends and family.

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About Snap Inc.

Snap is a technology company. We believe the camera presents the greatest opportunity to improve the way people live and communicate. Snap contributes to human progress by empowering people to express themselves, live in the moment, learn about the world, and have fun together. The Company's three core products are Snapchat, a visual messaging app that enhances your relationships with friends, family, and the world; Lens Studio, an augmented reality platform that powers AR across Snapchat and other services; and it's AR glasses, Spectacles.

For more information, visit snap.com.

Media Contact: snap.mena@bm.com