FIFA has issued a statement regarding allegations that England fans entered the World Cup match against Croatia without tickets. The governing body said it is currently unaware of any supporters gaining entry without valid tickets.
Security Concerns Raised
Eyewitness accounts from AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, suggested that a significant number of fans bypassed security and entered the ground unchecked. One witness told Mail Sport: "There were big gaps at the side of the ticket barriers and people just strolled through. There were volunteers who were basically old ladies and they weren't stopping anyone."
A FIFA spokesperson responded: "At this stage, we have no indication of fans entering the stadium without a valid match ticket for the game in question."
Attendance and Ticket Pricing
The official attendance was recorded as 70,389, slightly below the confirmed capacity of 70,649 announced by FIFA. Ticket pricing has been a contentious issue ahead of the tournament. The cheapest tickets through England's supporter travel scheme were initially priced at £198 for the Croatia match. After fan backlash, FIFA pledged to make 10% of tickets per match available for 60 US dollars (£45).
Match Recap
Harry Kane scored twice as England secured a thrilling 4-2 victory over Croatia in their Group L opener at the Dallas Cowboys' AT&T Stadium. Kane's early penalty was cancelled out by Martin Baturina's stunning effort, but the England captain restored the lead with a header from Declan Rice's corner. Croatia equalised again through Petar Musa just before half-time, prompting assistant Anthony Barry to criticise England's "complicated and confusing" display.
Jude Bellingham put England ahead again two minutes into the second half. Croatia goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic made several outstanding saves, but substitute Marcus Rashford sealed the win late on.
