England supporters making their way to Qatar for the World Cup later this year have been dealt a bitter blow, as the Three Lions learned that they will have less than 2,500 "official" fans for the opening game against Iran.
Gareth Southgate 's side get their highly anticipated campaign under way at the Khalifa International Stadium on Monday, November 21, and FIFA have confirmed to the FA that only 2,489 seats will go to Three Lions fans. Members of the England Supporters Travel Club had until Thursday to apply for the official allocation, with FIFA setting aside just eight per cent of "available seating capacity" for each team.
Of those, 1,785 were in the lowest-priced Category 3 seats, costing £53 each. Another 595 spots were available for £126 in Category 2 and the other 100 were of the highest price band, £168. The same prices apply England's other two group games, with the FA handed 4,158 seats for the match against USA Al Bayt Stadium on Friday, November 25. The Three Lions' support will then drop to 2,339 for their final group game, facing June play-off winners Scotland, Wales or Ukraine, at the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium on Tuesday, November 29.
If England win Group B and embark on a path of potentially three knockout fixtures at Al Bayt, which has a capacity of 60,000, their initial allocation for the last 16 is 3,009 tickets. 2,175 of them are priced at £81 each and 100 costing £358.
The FA have made a promise to fans that there will be a minimum 3,509 seats - starting at a price of £173 for the 2,550 Category 3 seats - if the Three Lions reach the quarter-finals. Category 1 seats, of which the Three Lions would again have 100, cost £358 with the remaining tickets priced at £243.
As for a semi-final, the Three Lions would have 3,375 supporters - out of a total allocation of 4,609 - paying £300 to see them in action, with another 100 set back £804. And if they do go all the way and reach the final, the FA will start with an initial 5,109 seats at the Lusail Stadium, with 3,750 at £508 each and, once more, 100 available for an eye-watering £1,352.
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That means it could cost a whopping £1,221 to attend every match and follow Southgate and co to glory. Supporters without tickets, however, have been strongly urged not to travel to the tournament. As reported by the Sun, any fans who land in Qatar will be turned away unless they have official tickets and a FIFA ID with them.
The chief operating officer of Qatar Tourism, Berhold Trenkel, said: "A decision has been taken that only fans with match tickets will be allowed visas. They will need official fan IDs to get into Qatar and those who do not have them will not be allowed to travel. The rules are strict and are there for a reason."
One-and-a-half million fans are expected to descend upon Qatar, although those estimates being correct would give the tournament the tag of lowest attended World Cup since records began in Mexico 52 years ago.
