Thousands of England fans were forced to miss the opening stages of the Three Lions' World Cup opener against Iran due to an issue with the online ticketing system in Qatar.
Gareth Southgate's side face Iran in Doha in their first game of Group B as they look at go all the way for the first time since 1966. Plenty of England fans managed to gain access inside the Khalifa International Stadium and were pictured with flags and face paint prior to kick-off, but there were many who were forced to wait outside.
Footage emerged on social media of fans facing chaos outside the stadium after finding their tickets had vanished from the FIFA app on their phones. There were questions of whether the kick-off would be delayed, but the game went ahead as planned at 4pm local time (1pm GMT).
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The ground, which can hold just over 45,000 spectators but was seen with clear gaps for the start of the game whilst people were left queuing to get in. Reports suggest that some had been trying to gain entry for up to two hours before kick off and were still left on the periphery.
The issue was with the FIFA ticketing app and caused backlogs of fans to be stranded during the opening minutes of the match. The first match of the tournament between Qatar and Ecuador also made headlines after fans exited at half-time and many didn't come back to watch the second 45 minutes as the atmosphere drained at the Al Bayt Stadium in Doha.
It was a different issue for England and Iran fans though, as those trying to get in had to wait a prolonged period before being able to watch Southgate's team at a World Cup once more.
The FSA's Fans' Embassy team, Free Lions, tweeted an update: "We’re aware of issues with some e-tickets at the stadium with FIFA’s ticketing app. The FA is working hard to find a resolution for England fans.If you have issues seeing your ticket on the app, join the ticketing resolution queue at the stadium, but keep checking the app."
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