Guide to the tournament

Draw details, key dates, ticket information – and where fans will be able to get a beer

Draw details

The date in Gareth Southgate’s diary to find out who England will face at the World Cup is April 1 next year. The England manager is expected to travel to Doha, the capital city of the hosts, to find out which three teams his side will play in the group stage. Southgate will have seven months to prepare for the matches, with the tournament starting in November, midway through the Premier League season, due to Qatar’s stifling summer heat.

Where England could be based?

Southgate wants a quiet, more secluded base camp and it is likely to be on the outskirts of a city. The Football Association is sending a delegation to Qatar next month to assess potential training bases, along with security around matches and how fans will be treated. Southgate would prefer to be away from the centre of Doha, and travel should not be an issue in a relatively small country for a World Cup. He has looked at three potential sites and is yet to make his final decision.

Key dates

As hosts, Qatar will open the tournament on Nov 21 and the final will be at Lusail Iconic Stadium on Dec 18, with players getting back to action in domestic football on Boxing Day. England will have Uefa Nations League matches at the end of the season and in September, which will serve as warm-up games for the tournament as Southgate will only have days with his players in November.

How do I get tickets?

Some hospitality packages with group games starting at £700 per ticket have already gone on sale via Fifa and its partners, but general admission tickets are expected to be on general sale only six months before the tournament.

Which countries will be there and what time are matches? Germany,

Denmark, Brazil, France, Belgium, Croatia, Spain and Serbia confirmed their place at the tournament before last night’s

Holders: Kylian Mbappe won the last World Cup with France

matches, joining hosts Qatar. Temperatures will still reach an average of 30C during the midday sun, so the following kick-off times (GMT) have been agreed for the group matches: 10am, 1pm, 4pm and 7pm. The knockout matches will kick off at 3pm and 7pm.

Flight time to Qatar from UK?

The journey is a relatively short 6hr 40min from the UK to Qatar for the world’s biggest tournament.

Will alcohol and box-park style fan zones be allowed?

While alcohol is not part of Qatari culture, it is available in hotels and will be served at the tournament in designated areas. Accommodation has been more of an issue and there are plans to host visitors on cruise liners, which will be like floating cities. There are also plans for “glamping” in the desert on the outskirts of the city, which will be like fan zones.