Tickets for England vs France showdown sell for £10,000

WORLD  09 December 2022 - 23:33

Tickets for England’s blockbuster World Cup clash against France are selling for £10,000 – more than 28 times the face value.

Gareth Southgate’s men face reigning champions Les Bleus in the quarter-finals at 7pm UK time on December 10, Evening Standard reports.

Around 9,500 England supporters are expected at Al Khor’s Al Bayt Stadium, boosted by ex-pats and hundreds flying in from the UK on flights costing over £1,600.

Ahead of the match, Arsenal winger Bukayo Saka, 21, was bashful as he met Three Lions legend David Beckham.

In a clip that has gone viral on social media, he politely asks: “Sorry to interrupt, can I have a picture with you?”

Ex-captain Beckham, 47 - an ambassador for the Qatar tournament - visited England’s Al Wakra camp to boost morale and was given a warm welcome by Southgate, current skipper Harry Kane, Declan Rice, Jack Grealish and Trent Alexander-Arnold.

Keeper Jordan Pickford says beating France would be “massive for us as a team” as he hailed their “top players” like Kylian Mbappé.

He added: “We know it’s going to be a tough game. But it’s World Cup football. You’ve got to relish these moments. You’ve got to take every chance you get. You might not get another chance to beat France.”

Separately, there was speculation around star Mbappé. He missed training on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon’s session has been suddenly closed to the media.

Officials insisted there are no concerns for the 23-year-old who is working away from his team in the recovery room. Others suggest Didier Deschamps’ side are playing mind games with England.

But superfan Kana Oyama, 32, from Japan, turned up outside the French team’s Al Sadd SC Stadium to wish him well.

Ms Oyama, 32, disappointed the squad’s coach sped past without stopping to sign her No10 shirt, said: “I wanted to see him. I’d been to his hotel two days ago. I hope it’s not too serious and Kylian starts on Saturday. We won’t win without him.”

The Anglo-French fixture has become the Gulf state’s hottest ticket.

Nearly 800 have appeared on resale sites at hugely inflated prices, with many being sold by fans whose teams have been knocked out.

The Standard found a pair of £175 category 2 seats being sold on Ticombo for £5,000 each, including a £709 booking fee.

Fans no longer need a match ticket to get the necessary Hayya immigration permit to enter Qatar, meaning they can fly in at short notice without having to negotiate red tape.

Thomas Concannon, from the Football Supporters’ Association fans’ embassy in Doha, warned people about being “vigilant and buying from official site if you can”.

He told the Standard: “You know the risks if using touts and paying through the roof.”

Mr Concannon confirmed there had been no arrests or police incidents in two-and-a-half weeks.

He said: “All the England fans have been fantastically well-behaved, very respectful of where we are and just enjoyed themselves.”

Caliber.Az