England players will reportedly not be allowed to board the luxury cruise liner where their WAGs will stay on during the World Cup.
It's believed Gareth Southgate's squad will live in a strict Covid bubble away from the MSC World Europa. The Three Lions will stay in the Souq Al Wakra hotel in Doha for the duration of the tournament - which starts on November 20 and ends on December 18.
Qatar no longer require visitors to provide a negative Covid test before entering the country to attend World Cup games. Although that will make it a lot easier for fans to visit the country, it does increase the chances of a Covid outbreak in the region.
As reported by The Sun , Southgate is keen to stop Covid from infiltrating his ranks. A strict bubble is set to be enforced for England's group games - and it's hard to see why that would be scrapped if the 1966 world champions go all the way to the final.
Organisers of the Qatar World Cup will order players who test positive for Covid to isolate for five days and wear a mask for a further five. They will also not be allowed to train with their team-mates, which would leave Southgate with a huge selection dilemma.
The WAGs are thought to have booked rooms on the fancy MSC World Europa. The £1billion cruise liner weights a whopping 205,700 tonnes and has six swimming pools, a 643ft promenade, 13 restaurants, 14 sea-view whirlpools and more than 30 bars and cafes.
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The MSC World Europa is currently on it's maiden voyage after leaving a French shipyard in October. The organisers of the Qatar World Cup have reserved the luxury ship for the tournament to compensate for the lack of hotels and accommodation in the country.
Some 6,762 guests are expected to occupy 2,633 cabins on the boat during the World Cup. Five-star packages to stay on board will cost supporters up to £6,000. Many supporters are planning to travel to Qatar on the day of games due to the lack of hotels.
"Due to the fact the boat is off-shore, guests can have a drink and enjoy themselves without having to worry about falling foul of Qatar's strict laws," a source told The Sun.
"The boat’s an amazing place to stay, which is why many of the players’ wives and families snapped up packages that the FA arranged. If England do go all the way, it’s likely to become like a carnival on board."
England's first game is against Iran at the Khalifa International Stadium on November 21 - just 17 days away. They then face the USA in Al Bayt on November 25 before ending their group campaign against Wales at the Al Rayyan Stadium four days later.
Gareth Southgate will name his 55-player squad for the World Cup this coming Thursday. Rumours suggest Brighton star Danny Welbeck, who was a member of the 2018 squad, could be included. Southgate will eventually trim his squad down to 26 players.
