Moscow ready for 7,000 England fans

More than 7,000 England fans could travel to Moscow for the second-round match against Colombia on Tuesday, the biggest concentration of English supporters on the Russian mainland since the World Cup finals began.

The Football Association sold its 2,000 allocation for the second round in January, with supporters taking the risk that Southgate’s side would reach that stage, but another 2,000 are expected to come having bought tickets in the Fifa general sale. Local sources say there are many expatriate English fans who are also expected to increase the numbers of those in Moscow.

There were 6,000-7,000 fans in Kaliningrad to see the final group fixture against Belgium on Thursday. That was always the more popular of the three group games, with many supporters coming through Gdansk and into Kaliningrad, which is 780 miles west of Moscow and bordered by Lithuania and Poland. The previous two games in Volgograd and Nizhny Novgorod drew much less interest.

So far, there have been no major problems reported among England fans. The British embassy in Moscow and consular authorities are confident that most supporters have taken heed of the advice given to them ahead of travelling.

The original reluctance to travel was borne of fears over hooligan violence and possible repercussions from the political stand-off between the UK and Russia but the tournament has proved popular so far with those who have come.

The relatively small size of the previous venue cities has meant the travelling England fans have tended to be more concentrated. The vastness of Moscow means they will be more spread out. The Spartak Stadium is in the north-west of the city and easily accessible by Metro. So far, English fans have largely been absent from the big crowds of supporters in the Russian capital.