Dubai, United Arab Emirates: Visa, the official payment services partner of the FIFA World Cup™, will bring the excitement of football to fans around the world and will be hosted in the Middle East region for the first time. Visa has partnered with banks in the region to facilitate curated experiences that bring people throughout the region closer to the games in Qatar.

As one of Visa's largest banking partners for the tournament in the region, Emirates NBD, a leading banking group in the MENAT (Middle East, North Africa and Turkey) region, will work with Visa to organize a series of exciting events and activations that will bring the FIFA World Cup™ experience closer to fans in the UAE. One such example is of Emirates NBD providing cardholders with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience the FIFA World Cup™ live, thanks to Visa.

To mark the countdown to the FIFA World Cup™, Emirates NBD and Visa are now offering cardholders and football fans in the UAE the chance to win an all-expense paid trip to watch official matches live with a plus one, attend a viewing party with a football legend and - for corporate customers - the opportunity to combine the worlds of business and football with an exciting discussion with legendary football legends, thanks to Visa.

"As FIFA's exclusive payment services partner, Visa is thrilled to create many unique experiences and benefits for Emirates NBD cardholders and customers that will help make this historic FIFA World Cup™ the most exciting and memorable tournament yet," said Salima Gutieva, Visa's Vice President and Country Manager for the UAE. "This year's event also provides us with a unique platform to make a transformative impact with new innovative payment solutions that champion our values of acceptance, equality and inclusion, and we look forward to making this happen with our partners."

“Emirates NBD is proud to be collaborating with Visa to bring the excitement of the FIFA World Cup™ to the UAE. With football being a universal favorite, we are pleased to bring some exciting events and activations for our customers thanks to Visa,” said Marwan Hadi, Executive Vice President and Head of Retail Banking at Emirates NBD. “We are constantly working towards offering our customers an integrated and innovative banking proposition, while providing access to unique and memorable experiences. We have carefully tailored our prize packages taking into consideration the interests of our customers, many of whom are football enthusiasts.”

The FIFA World Cup 2022™ is going to be the first time the world’s biggest football tournament will be hosted in the Middle East and the first to be held at the end of the calendar year. The tournament will take place between November 21 and December 18, 2022, at eight state-of-the-art stadiums with 32 football teams playing for the dream of lifting the FIFA World CupTM Trophy.

Visa, a FIFA partner since 2007, continues to drive toward new payment innovations that provide fans with faster and enhanced experiences at checkout. Whether it be contactless payment technology at transit locations, or new ways to pay, Visa has utilized its expertise to deliver innovative payments that reimagine the fan experience.

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About Visa Inc.

Visa (NYSE: V) is a world leader in digital payments, facilitating transactions between consumers, merchants, financial institutions and government entities across more than 200 countries and territories. Our mission is to connect the world through the most innovative, convenient, reliable and secure payments network, enabling individuals, businesses and economies to thrive. We believe that economies that include everyone everywhere, uplift everyone everywhere and see access as foundational to the future of money movement. Learn more at About Visa, visamiddleeast.com/blog and @Visamiddleeast.

Media Contact:
asda’a bcw, Dubai, UAE
Dhanya Issac | Danaisha Gulabani
E-mail: Dhanya.Issac@bcw-global.com, Danaisha.Gulabani@bcw-global.com