When the Souq Meets the Stadium and Experiences Are Powered by AI: Jeddah Has Found Its World Cup Home at Souq7

Rashad Iskandrni 

Souq7, the Kingdom's largest open-air souq spanning seven zones, is trending across Jeddah this World Cup, drawing record crowds to one of the city's biggest outdoor screens and more than a dozen interactive experiences

Souq7, the Kingdom's largest open air souq, has become one of Jeddah's most talked about destinations this summer, with its FIFA World Cup 2026 programme drawing record numbers to the destination. Throughout the tournament, which concluded on 19 July 2026, Souq7 proved itself as Jeddah's new landmark destination, with crowds from across the city flocking to Central Park and Al Kul Street every evening, consistently filling the destination from the first match to the final whistle.

Since launching its World Cup programme under the banner (Play It with the Seven Tactics), Souq7 has seen a dramatic spike in attention both on the ground and online. Social media engagement has surged 304 percent, while "Souq7" Has climbed Instagram and TikTok’s trending searches in Jeddah, a powerful signal that the destination has captured the city's imagination and its people.

At the heart of Souq7's World Cup innovation is the Football Star Experience in Central Park, an AI powered photo activation that turns every visitor into a football star. Using AI enhanced portraits, instant digital output and QR led sharing, the experience transforms spectators into players, giving each visitor a personalised hero moment they can share instantly online. It is a striking example of how Souq7 is blending the warmth of a traditional souq with smart, technology led experiences, giving Jeddah's biggest open-air destination a distinctly modern edge.

Across Central Park and Al Kul Street, Souq7 rolled out more than a dozen interactive experiences for the World Cup. Central Park's Free Match Viewing turned every match into a shared celebration, with families and friends gathering on colour coded bean bags beneath one of Jeddah's biggest outdoor screens for a true collective living room experience. Roaming football themed performers, the Header Challenge and the community Signature Ball kept the park alive, while Al Kul Street became a carnival of football themed games, including Giant Foosball, the Bumper Ball Game, Football Dart, Giant Target Shot, Win with Four and the Juggling Ball Challenge, running every evening into the night.

Since opening in 2025, Souq7 has rapidly grown into one of Jeddah's most recognisable destinations. On a single day during the World Cup, the destination welcomed more than 50,000 visitors, gathering beneath one of Jeddah's biggest outdoor screens and across its activated spaces, a number that speaks for itself. Its World Cup transformation marks the latest step in establishing Souq7 as a true landmark gathering place for the city.

"Every evening since the World Cup began, we have watched Jeddah come to Souq7. The energy across Central Park and Al Kul Street has been unlike anything we have seen before. Souq7 is a stage where tradition meets innovation, and bringing AI powered experiences into an open air souq setting reflects exactly what Vision 2030 set out to build: a modern, world class Kingdom rooted in culture and community. Souq7 is proud to be playing its part in that vision, for the people of Jeddah and for everyone visiting our city this summer," said Ayman Al Burti, CEO of Azad Properties.

As the final whistle blows on the FIFA World Cup 2026, Souq7's summer is far from over. With its seven zones and more than 3,500 shops, the destination continues to build on the energy of the tournament with further activations and experiences planned throughout the summer season, keeping Jeddah's most celebrated meeting point alive and buzzing in the weeks ahead. Souq7 invites the city to keep gathering, keep discovering and keep making memories, every zone, every day.