The organisation of the Qatar World Cup will again be called into question after an issue with FIFA’s ticketing system left England and Iran fans struggling to get into Khalifa International Stadium.
Ahead of the opening Group B game, and the second match of the tournament, on Monday, thousands of supporters were unable to gain entry to the ground in time for kick-off.
This was due to a problem with the FIFA Ticketing app.
There were thousands of empty seats when the game started, with the venue gradually filling up during the first half.
In a statement released just prior to kick-off, FIFA said: “Some spectators are currently experiencing an issue with accessing their tickets via the FIFA Ticketing app. FIFA is working on solving the issue.
“In the meantime, fans who are not able to access their mobile tickets should check the email accounts they used to register with the Ticketing app for further instructions.
“In case fans cannot access their email accounts, the stadium’s Ticket Resolution Point will be able to support. We thank fans for their understanding as we work to fix the issue as soon as possible.”
— FIFA Media (@fifamedia) November 21, 2022
Source: Livescore