sport news The superfans descending on England for Euro 2022 trends now
A record-breaking 500,000 tickets have been sold for the Women’s Euros, which kicks off with England versus Austria this Wednesday.
The UK will welcome football fans from 99 different countries including many that do not have teams taking part in the tournament.
Some of the destinations include places as far as South Africa, Singapore and India. Sportsmail decided to speak to some of the fans coming over to England to hear why they wanted to be part of what is set to be a historic tournament.
Fans from across the world will descend on England for the 2022 European Championships
Katelyn Tigchelaar is flying over from Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, to watch the Netherlands play Sweden and Italy take on Belgium.
‘My family is Dutch, my grandparents immigrated here from the Netherlands when they were younger and have kept on with some Dutch traditions,’ she tells Sportsmail.
‘So I’ve had a particular affection for watching the men’s Dutch team in the WC for years and now I’ve got a chance to watch the women play live for the first time so I’m buzzing about that.
‘As for the other match between Italy and Belgium, It’s being played at the Academy stadium and I became a huge Man City women fan over the course of the pandemic, and with the creation of the FA player so international viewers can watch, so I’m looking forward to visiting their stadium. I’m looking forward to watching players like [Vivianne] Miedema, [Danielle] Van de Donk, [Lieke] Martens, and [Jackie] Groenen play.’
Katelyn Tigchelaar is flying over from Canada to watch Holland and the likes of (l-r) Vivianne Miedema, Danielle van de Donk and Lieke Martens
Gianluca Luca is travelling from Malta and will be attending the opening game at Old Trafford and the final. ‘I am a huge fan of the women's game and these European Championships promise to be one of the best ever international tournaments in the history of female football. It is simply unmissable.
Gianluca Luca is travelling from Malta and will be attending the opening game
‘I am rooting for Italy so maybe I will be lucky to see them contend in the final come July 31. At the same time, I am looking forward to watching England play given they are the hosts and they have a huge following.
‘I’m looking forward to seeing [Italy's] Cristiana Girelli and Barbara Bonansea. They have been pivotal for Juventus in the Women's Champions League and I am curious to see their impact at this level, once again, after their strong showings at the 2019 World Cup.’
Suzilawati Mohamed Zain is a Manchester United fan from Singapore and is attending group games between Denmark and Spain, Switzerland and the Netherlands and Belgium versus France as well as the quarter-finals, semi-finals and the final.
‘It’s always been my dream to experience a football tournament at least once in my lifetime,’ he says.
Gianluca Luca is looking forward to catching Cristiana Girelli in action for Italy in England
Barbara Bonansea (right) is also part of the Italy side that arrived in England on Monday
The first game of the tournament will take place at Old Trafford as England take on Austria
‘Being an international fan who sometimes have to stay up at some weird hour to watch my favourite club playing or to watch other big games in the UWCL or the Euros and World Cups, it’s a delight to be at a football tournament where you’ll be watching a couple of big games in a row.
'I’ll also get to meet some of the Manchester United Barmy Army family that I’ve gotten to know through
