Thousands of fans arrive in Qatar
THOUSANDS of England and Wales fans will watch on in Doha as both nations begin their bids for World Cup Qatar 2022 glory.
Millions more supporters are expected to tune in back home as England open their group B campaign against Iran this afternoon before Wales make their first appearance at the World Cup finals since 1958 against the US.
Both teams will be hoping to get off to a winning start and pick up points in their second games later in the week before facing each other next week for their final group stage fixture. Almost 2,400 Three Lions fans applied for tickets for the Iran game via the England Supporters’ Travel Club and Wales expect more than 2,500 of their supporters to have made the trip.
Their ranks are expected to be swelled by fans in the region, with shuttle flights from Dubai and taxi trips from Saudi Arabia among the options for those heading to the tournament. Rich Moran, 37, from Sleaford in Lincolnshire, said England should “go quite far” in the tournament if boss Gareth Southgate makes the right decisions on team selection and tactics. Mr Moran, speaking in Doha, told the PA news agency: “We’ve got the players to definitely win it, 100%.”