England fans told to stay away from Qatar 'unless they have World Cup tickets'

England fans have been warned not to travel to Qatar unless they have tickets for the World Cup later this year - because they'll be refused entry to the country.

Three Lions' fans will be sketching out their travel plans for the big kick-off in November after Gareth Southgate's side discovered their fate last Friday at the World Cup draw in Doha. England were drawn into Group B alongside Iran and United States. Either Scotland, Wales or Ukraine will take the final spot in the group in June.

Fans from across the globe are expected to descend on Qatar later this year for the month-long spectacle - but any fans planning to travel to the tournament without tickets could be left facing the ultimate disappointment according to a new report.

According to The Sun, any fans who attempt to book flights into the country will be turned away unless they have match tickets and an official Fifa ID in a move could deny thousands of fans the opportunity to travel to the tournament to support Southgate's side.

The chief operating officer of Qatar Tourism, Berhold Trenkel, said: “A decision has been taken that only fans with match tickets will be allowed visas. They will need official fan IDs to get into Qatar and those who do not have them will not be allowed to travel. The rules are strict and are there for a reason.”

There have been concerns of Qatar's suitability to host the World Cup for a variety of reasons, and it's anticipated that the number of fans who visit the the country for the tournament will be around one-and-a-half million - a significant drop on the last four tournaments, which have all boasted figures in excess of three million fans.

If those estimates are correct, then the tournament will have the lowest overall