The wives and girlfriends of England footballers will reportedly be staying on board a luxury cruise liner when the World Cup kicks off on November 20.
MSC World Europa, a £1billion cruise liner, is ready and waiting for the sports stars' loved ones, but the players reportedly won't be able to set on the ship described as a 'floating palace'.
With 14 ocean-view Jacuzzis, dodgem cars, salons, boutiques, restaurants, bars and the longest dry-slide at sea, the likes of Jack Grealish's partner Sasha Attwood and England goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale's fiancée Georgina Irwin, 26, will have plenty to keep them entertained during their possible upcoming stay in Qatar.
Several of the Three Lions stars’ partners and families are set to fly out to Qatar later this month, as England captain Harry Kane prepares to lead his team out to play after a heap of controversary and backlash towards this year's World Cup hosts.
Back in the day, the antics of WAGs accompanying their partners on World Cup and European Championship tournaments across the globe hit headlines but this year's event in Qatar will be a very different affair.
Qatar, a country that represses the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people, operates a strict booze ban which can see rule-breakers end up in jail, but it is believed some 'select areas' may be able to serve alcohol throughout the World Cup.
The 2006 World Cup in Germany saw the likes of Victoria Beckham, Ashley Cole's wife at the time Cheryl and Coleen Rooney - attracted a mass of attention in Baden-Baden, as they partied across the city inbetween cheering on their partners.
This year's World Cup will see the current crop of WAGs possibly stay in Dubai and fly in for matches, with the MSC World Europa acting as their base when they do step foot in Qatar for England games.
A stay on the £1billion cruise liner will set back guests a whopping £6,000 each, with Manchester City ace Phil Foden's girlfriend Rebecca Cooke, 22, reportedly keen to stay on board the luxury vessel alongside the rest of his family.
Harry Maguire's wife Fern, 27, is also apparently expected to fly out to the Middle East to cheer on the Manchester United captain as he and his England teammates hope to follow on from their successful Euro 2020 campaign, which saw them miss out on lifting a trophy after a tense final.
"The boat is an amazing place to stay. It is like a floating palace, which is why many of the players’ wives and families quickly snapped up packages that the Football Association arranged," a source has told The Sun ahead of the World Cup later this month.
The insider goes on to explain how because the boat is off shore, those staying on board will be about to enjoy an alcoholic beverage without having to worry about breaking Qatar's strict booze bans.
"If England do go all the way it’s likely to become like a carnival on board," they add when discussing how the WAGs will support their partners during the tournament.
One of the biggest appeals of the luxury cruise liner, especially for children, is an incredible 11-deck high slide called The Venom Drop.
The MSC World Europa also boasts waterslides and a Sportplex zone that will offer basketball, bumper cars and even a roller disco rink.
Over recent years, a lot has changed since the lives of footballers' wives attracted so much attention and fascination throughout national tournaments - with many feeling how the treatment of women married to footballers in the 00s was riddled with sexism and misogyny.
Current England boss Gareth Southgate has banned the national team's wives and girlfriends from starring in a fly-on-the-wall World Cup documentary and the Three Lions manager reportedly won't even use the term WAG, as he believes it is disrespectful.
Reflecting on the peak of WAG culture with his former Manchester United teammate Gary Neville, one-time England captain David Beckham admitted: "There was a lot of attention around the families but I always believed, as an England captain, having the kids around and wives or girlfriends wasn’t a bad thing.
"But looking back, that whole culture, there was a lot of attention, and whether people behaved themselves in the right manner - I don’t know.
"Even Victoria, she is the first to say when she looks back: 'What was I doing? What was I wearing? Why would I do that?' I think it went a bit too far.
"There was more spoken about the WAGs than the football. At that time, for the players, you want to focus on the tournament rather than anything else," he continued on The Overlap podcast.
"I do think it went too far but I do believe having them there at the right time is a good thing."
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