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.
