England 's stars' wives and girlfriends have reportedly started booking up a luxury £1bn cruise-liner as a scramble for accommodation in Qatar ahead of the World Cup gets underway.
Gareth Southgate ’s Three Lions booked their place at the tournament as far back as November with a near-flawless qualifying campaign having won eight of their ten matches in a group that included the likes of Poland, Hungary and minnows San Marino.
Since then, the FA, supporters, as well as the players' families have been attempting to book accommodation over in Qatar despite current boss Southgate still having decisions to make over his final squad for the tournament.
Some partners already appear to have taken the plunge - quite literally - in getting their bases for the tournament across November and December sorted, with some having plumped for a £1bn off-shore cruise-liner to stay in.
According to The Sun, a handful of 'WAGs' and their families will stay in the luxury MSC World Europa throughout the tournament. The liner offers guests six pools, 14 ocean-view jacuzzis, dodgem cars, salons, boutiques, restaurants, bars and the longest dry-slide at sea and is described as a “floating palace”.
The prices to stay on the 205,700- tonne ship align with that billing with a £300 starting charge per night for a double or twin room although that can rocket up to £690 per night. It is suggested that in total, a package could see the pocket of some of the England stars hit with a £6,000 bill.
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In total, the MSC World Europa can accommodate 6,762 guests and many supporters are still thought to be attempting to secure rooms ahead of the tournament. However, WAGs and families are not expected to be disturbed with The FA reportedly footing the bill for added security aboard the ship.
Those staying aboard the MSC World Europa will also be able to bypass the strict no-alcohol laws in Qatar with it being suggested that the ship is considered 'off-shore' so is not obliged to abide.
It remains to be seen exactly who will be staying aboard the cruise liner, with some families having elected to stay elsewhere during the Qatar World Cup. As exclusively revealed by Mirror Sport, some partners have chosen to stay on the beautiful £3,500-per-night ‘Banana Island’ resort.
The chalets on the resort are built on stilts in the Arabian Sea and can easily sleep five. Tourist chiefs describe it as a 'once-in-a-lifetime' experience with Banana island likely to be heavily in demand for the tournament. It is popular with VIPs and celebrities who love the 'over-water' villas also seen in the Maldives. And there is huge demand for accommodation in the Arab state, which is the size of Yorkshire.
Meanwhile, the Three Lions are set to stay elsewhere in an effort to keep their focus on England’s first push for a World Cup triumph since 1966.
Southgate’s men will reside at the posh Tivoli Hotel in the traditional souk district at Al Wakra. The hotel has been converted from former pearl fishermen's chalets and will be closed from the end of October as preparations get underway for the arrival of the team.
