Play Ball! Fútbol!
Going to the the FIFA World Cup Russia Arena is cool, but let’s face it—it’s unlikely you’ll actually snag yourself a ticket at this point. Being able to play anytime, anywhere, with your friends with this take along soccer set is even more cool and and very possible thanks to Playmobil.
The Take Along 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia Arena is a licensed product of the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia, and is the perfect set for any junior FIFA fans. It includes four Playmobil figures, all representing different teams. Two are designated as goalies and the remaining playeres are on the field. My money is on the goalie with the red hair—he’s probably my long lost cousin TBH or maybe, just like, Ed Sheeran incognito.
What’s great about this set is everything snaps together so easily. Initial setup will take no longer than 10 minutes, and then following that, no more than five minutes. Kids will line the perimeter of the field with decorative stickers, snap in goals on the fly, and prep their men for game time. There are even little trophies to give out at the end and the soccer balls snap together like Easter eggs.
Playing the game is very similar to foosball. The goalie men will attach to foosball handles. The kickers, however, will attach to these special kicker stands that will be placed on the field. Each kicker has bendable limbs— and once positioned in his stand, kids can pull his leg back and watch as he power kicks the little plastic ball with his foot. Beware: they may be plastic men, but they are mighty. My dude kicked so hard the ball went out of bounds. TBH the ball hit my coworker across the room.
The field is soft and lined with felt, resembling real arena turf. It made me feel like a better person because at least when I pulverize my opponents, I know their little plastic man is falling to soft ground and not rock hard pavement.
Ultimately, the game will alternate between players using their foosball handle when they need to play defense with their goalie, to manually helping their men kick and score on the field. There’s opportunity for imaginative play with this set and for kids to create their own variations of games.
Lastly, the beauty of this set is it is just so convenient. At the end, it all collapses back into a briefcase. Kids can easily transport it to their friends house, which I know that really scores points for all us parents out there. 😅
