Millions of England supporters are packing out pubs and fan parks across the country after booking the day off work or calling in sick – as the nation grinds to a halt to watch the Three Lions’ World Cup opener against Iran.
The 1pm kick-off left many England fans facing the prospect of not being able to watch the highly-anticipated game today, but much of the country’s workforce will be away from the office and instead glued to TV screens this afternoon.
Some schools have ‘rearranged’ or halted lessons altogether to allow pupils to watch the match, while traffic levels were down in several cities including London and Birmingham as employees still working chose to work from home.
Up to 11 million people are expected to pull a sick day in order to watch the match, according to a YouGov poll, and fans have been pictured packing out pubs with a pint of beer in hand.
In addition, more than one in ten said they intend to sneakily watch England’s opening fixture during their work hours without their employer knowing.
Meanwhile, streets were deserted around Windsor and Bristol, with traffic levels also significantly down in London and Birmingham.
Congestion in the capital at 8am was 67 per cent, down from 75 per cent at the same time last week. Other cities with lighter traffic included Birmingham (down from 73 per cent to 59 per cent) and Manchester (down from 73 per cent to 69 per cent).
Painter and decorator John Goldman admitted to pulling a ‘sickie’ to watch England’s opening match. He travelled from his home in Thurrock, Essex, to an all ticket FIFA-backed event in central London.
Accompanied by his wife Lianne – and both wearing England shirts – they couldn’t wait for the afternoon kick off.
John said: ’I was supposed to be working but decided to come here. I’m self-employed, so there’s no one to tell me off. Even if I had a job, I would have cancelled. I just wanted to watch the football.’
England fans gather at Boxpark in Wembley ahead of the 2022 World Cup, Group B opening game between England and Iran
Fans have been pictured packing out pubs with a pint of beer in hand as England take on Iran in their World Cup opener this afternoon
The empty streets of Windsor town centre, Berkshire, as many remain at home to watch the England hame
Much of the UK workforce has either booked the day off work or are calling in sick so they can watch the game. Pictured: Empty streets in Windsor
Empty roads around Bristol this morning, with traffic levels down in several cities across the country today including the capital
England fans chant with their aloft at the Boxpark in Wembley ahead of the match against Iran this afternoon
England fans holding beers pictured at the England v Iran World |Cup Fanzone at Boxpark Croydon in south London this afternoon
Fans in Manchester sing with their arms aloft during the national anthems before England’s World Cup match against Iran this afternoon
England fan David has taken his seat near a screen to watch the game at a pub in King’s Heath, Birmingham, against Iran this afternoon
The Aston Expressway near Birmingham was empty this morning as many fans chose to take the day off or work from home today
His wife Lianne said she had taken a day off from her admin job to join her husband.
‘We would not want to miss this’ she said.
Hundred of fans queued to get into the fan festival at the underground Ourternet complex in Tottenham Court Road central London.
Fans were given a token for a free beer – Budweiser – and a floppy sun hat.
Dozens of security guards made sure there was no hint of trouble. Only fans with pre- booked tickets were admitted and issued with a wrist band to gain entry to the cavernous space three floors below street level.
Sam Higgs, 28, and James Crow, 28, booked days off to attend the event. The pair, who avidly follow England, said they hoped all the politics surrounding the event would be forgotten once the game kicks off.
Sam, from Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, said: ’We just want to watch the football. The players should not get involved in the politics. It’s ridiculous that it is being argued about now when Qatar was awarded the World Cup 12 years ago’.
Fans ALSO queued before 9am to get into the Box Park venue in Shoreditch to sample the atmosphere as early as possible.
Friends Callum Rowe, Jon Dunne and Kyle Brown were knocking on the door of the popular venue when it opened its doors this morning.
All tickets for the 750-capacity venue sold out last night – with an extra 35 released at 10.30 this morning.
The friends – who have all taken the day off work to watch the match – said that they couldn’t wait for the Three Lions to kick off their World Cup campaign.
Jon, 35, told MailOnline: ‘It feels a bit weird with the tournament being held in winter. We should be sitting in a beer garden not watching the match inside in the dark and the rain.
‘But now we can’t wait to see the football and will be supporting England, hopefully all the way to the final.’
Female fans Jess and Alex were outnumbered by men 100 to one but we’re enjoying the atmosphere.
Jess, 27, told MailOnline: ‘I took the day off work to cheer in England. I work in sports development and my boss said he was proud of me. You’ve got to support your team. Come On England!’ It’s going to be 5-1 to England!
She added: ‘Its not ideal that the World Cup is in Qatar for lots of reasons but I’ve been there for work and people are nice.’
Alex, 28, said: ‘Watching the match is a great excuse to have a drink on a Monday lunchtime! I say it’s going to be 2-0 to England.
‘It’s not ideal that it’s being held in Qatar but I’ve been to the Middle East a few times for work and football is very popular.’
Hagley Road West in Birmingham, one of the main commuter routes into the city centre, was very quiet at rush hour this morning
Annual leave requests have soared by 13 per cent with quick-thinking employees booking the day off ahead of time.
Around a quarter of supporters have said they plan to watch the World Cup from a pub or bar, despite the unusual time of year for the tournament, with Britons expected to consume nine million pints of beer as Wales also begin their campaign today.
Debbie Porter, managing director of a Destination Digital Marketing, said her children’s school had ‘rearranged’ its normal day in order to avoid pupils and staff calling in sick.
She said: ‘My children’s’ school have entirely rearranged the school day today, presumably in an attempt to keep their absenteeism figures in the correct percentage range for OFSTED.
‘Recording the game and watching it just a few hours later is entirely within the scope of our technological abilities, so I can’t fathom why we shouldn’t be expecting people to grow up a bit and defer their gratification to the evening. This goes for employees as well as schoolchildren.’
Sam Alsop-Hall, chief strategy officer of a recruitment firm Woodrow Mercer Healthcare, said he had given his employees an ‘extended lunch’ to allow them to watch the entire game.
He said: ‘First game today and we’ve told the team if they get into the office an hour earlier they can have an extended lunch to watch the game. Our only other rule is don’t come back half cut, but the World Cup only comes around once every four years so let’s enjoy it.’
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