England fans told to stay away from Qatar ‘unless they have World Cup tickets’

England fans have been warned they will be turned away from Qatar if they attempt to travel to the World Cup without official tickets when the tournament begins in November

England Fans have been warned not to travel to Qatar unless they have tickets to the World Championship later that year – because they are denied entry into the country.

Three Lions fans will outline their travel plans for November’s big opener afterwards Gareth Southgates The team found out about their fate last Friday at the World Cup draw in Doha. England were drawn in Group B alongside Iran and the United States. Either Scotland, Wales or Ukraine will take last place in the group in June.

Fans from around the world are expected to flock to Qatar for the month-long extravaganza later this year – but any fans planning to travel to the tournament without tickets could face the ultimate disappointment, according to a new report.

Accordingly The sunall fans trying to book flights into the country will be turned away unless they have match tickets and official Fifa ID could deny thousands of fans the opportunity to travel to the tournament to support Southgate’s side.

Qatar Tourism Chief Operating Officer Berhold Trenkel said: “A decision has been made that only fans with match tickets will be issued visas. You need official fan ID cards to enter Qatar and those who don’t have one are not allowed to travel. The rules are strict and there is a reason.”

There have been concerns about Qatar’s suitability to host the World Cup for a variety of reasons and the number of fans visiting the country for the tournament is expected to hover around a million and a half – a significant drop over the last four tournaments that have been held have all the figures of over three million fans to show.

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If these estimates are correct, the tournament will have the lowest overall attendance of any World Cup since records began in Mexico 52 years ago.

Along with travel restrictions, any England fans lucky enough to snag a coveted ticket to their nation’s games confronted with an extortionate travel bill. It has been claimed some fans could be billed up to £9,000 a night for a hotel room as supporters brace themselves for a frantic search for accommodation.

And spending doesn’t end there for fans planning to enjoy a drink at the tournament. The price of a pint in Qatar is among the highest in the world – and there are strict restrictions on drinking in the country too.

However, these restrictions are set to be relaxed for the World Cup. But fans are still expected to be charged £10 for a bottle of Heineken and £11 for a pint of Stella Artois – although Budweiser will be offering pints for just £6 at Fanfests.