England fans faced chaos before their World Cup opener against Iran as FIFA's electronic ticketing system crashed, leaving hundreds queuing for paper tickets. The issue, which forced some fans to wait up to four hours outside a tent in Doha, continued into Wednesday with FIFA sending affected users emails directing them to designated points to collect physical tickets.
On Monday, thousands were impacted outside Khalifa International Stadium, with video footage showing fans walking into the stadium after the match had started. One fan told the BBC: "I've got a ticket for the game this evening but it's not loaded, the system has crashed. All of these people are struggling with the same issue." Another supporter said: "We came two or three hours early, all the way to Qatar, £150 for each ticket, £800 for flights and the tickets have disappeared."
FIFA acknowledged the problem in a statement on Monday, saying: "Some spectators are currently experiencing an issue with accessing their tickets via the FIFA Ticketing app. FIFA is working on solving the issue." However, by Wednesday, the system remained broken, with fans still required to visit ticketing points to exchange emails for paper tickets.
Fans complained of a lack of official announcements and long waits without water. One supporter described the situation as "the greatest football show on earth? Brilliant." The ticketing farce has overshadowed England's 6-2 victory, with many questioning FIFA's preparedness for the tournament.
