Friday 25 November 2022 05:29 PM England expects: Anticipations builds for Three Lions clash with USA in Qatar ... trends now
Millions of Three Lions fans have already packed pubs and are poised on their sofas ahead of England taking on the USA at 7pm tonight.
Supporters are hoping for an emphatic scoreline like Iran's 6-2 thrashing that would see Gareth Southgate's men qualify a game early for the knockout stages.
But Harry Kane face an American side featuring Premier League players including Brenden Aaronson and Tyler Adams - not to mention the son of former PSG and AC Milan striker George Weah.
Excitement was building throughout the country as pubs were packed by fans who had either bunked or convinced kind bosses they could go early.
Charlotte Dean 28 and Matthew Traher, 31, who both work for Tesco, were in Victoria Station and looking forward to the match, which they will watch on their phones as they bus home
England fans at Luna Springs Birmingham raise the flag ahead of the crunch match tonight
Karine Fox at Iron Works Gym had a pre workout before the game but was dressed ready to go
England fan Frank Edmunds at The Old Moseley Arms lifts a pint ahead of the big match
Veronica Grabowska, 20, was ready for the match in Newcastle with drink and phone in hands
At the Albert Hotel sports bar in Hull bar worker Kieran Cooper, 24, expected typical Friday night sales to double.
He said: 'It'll be packed in here tonight. We've got the biggest screen around. We've made sure we are fully stocked so we don't run dry. We'll easily shift 600 pints tonight.'
One Wales fan Leonard Clarke, 36, had even switched his allegiances after watching his side fall 2-0 to Iran.
The roofer, a Liverpool FC supporter, said: 'I'm on the JD and cokes trying to forget about it. We were terrible today.
England fans show their support ahead of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Group B match between England and USA at Al Bayt Stadium on November 25, 2022 in Al Khor, Qatar
England supporters enjoy a beer at Central Park in Newcastle as they enjoy the build up to tonight's World Cup match against USA.
Pictured are Aimee Ryson (left) and Rachael Thomson ahead of the game against the US
'Wales are all but finished so I'm supporting England now. I reckon they'll win 3-0 - Sterling will score, John Stones will net a header and Bellingham will get one, too.'
And even American fans seemed to think their chances of picking up a win were slim.
At the Embankment Christmas Market in London one supporter who would only give his name as Daniel was with his family.
The Seattle local said he believed they only had a 20 per cent chance of victory.
Charlotte Dean 28 and Matthew Traher, 31, who both work for Tesco, were in Victoria Station.
A deserted Piccadilly Circus in London this afternoon and England fans fled work ahead of the big match with USA tonight
Football fanatic Casey Bishop, 39, who has quit his job as a sports assistant at Northumbria University in Newcastle so he can watch every World Cup game. Pictured at Newcastle's Central Park watching England play Iran on Monday
England fans started drinking early in Doha today ahead of the key battle tonight at 7pm
They said they were so dedicated they're watching it on the coach journey home to Bournemouth.
Casey Bishop, 39, has even quit his job at Northumbria University in Newcastle so he doesn't miss a minute of the football at home or in the pub.
He said: 'I would have been so miserable stuck at work. I'm a massive football fan, and I just couldn't imagine not being able to watch them.
'Morally I felt as though I couldn't go [to Qatar]. I've always been against it but when I heard about the atrocities and the human rights record. I couldn't give my money to them. I have also heard from mates over there they are paying £16 for a pint of beer so I'm glad I made that decision'.
Mr Bishop has a new job lined up for the new year - and his last boss kindly halved his notice period to two weeks so he could leave just as the World Cup began. He is watching the matches at the pub, fan zones and at home.
A quiet Embankment today ahead of tonight's England game
Shaftsbury Avenue in the heart of theatre land was deserted
Earlier city and town centres were empty by Midday as England fans rushed home or to the pub - if they were not on the sofa already.
Bosses were also letting staff leave early after experts said there has been a massive increase in sickies.
Gareth Southgate's Three Lions take on their transatlantic rivals at 7pm tonight - but 5,000 supporters are already partying in Doha with millions starting early at home.
An England win will see the team qualify before playing Wales next week, with the Welsh dragons needing to win to have any hope of going through.
Football-mad workers in the UK have been throwing 'sickies' at record rates so they can watch World Cup matches, employers are claiming. Businesses have been flocking to legal advisers amid concerns staff are taking rogue days off, with today unlikely to be any different give the magnitude of the two matches.
Wales fans were in the pub for breakfast and some pints this morning ahead of the early kick off. And with four matches this Friday, many will make a day of it,
But the team fell flat - and lost 2-0 in the crunch game.
An estimated 10,000 English and Welsh fans are in Doha for the matches and were drinking late into the night last night ahead of their games today. Some have spent their £50,000 life savings to be in Qatar where a chicken burger and a pint is costing fans £50.
Darren Camill, 53, said that by the time he gets home he will have spent around £9,000 following the England team in Qatar. He added: 'I've been to a few major tournaments with England but this is the most expensive ever. I paid £50 for a chicken burger and chips the other day which is normal in Doha.'
A fairly quiet Trafalgar Square today as Wales then England play their second games of the group stages
England's crunch game could see the team through with a game to spare as results went their way
A fan wears a cowboy hat and stars and stripes socks ahead of the match with the USA
England fans at the Red Lion pub in Doha
He is in Qatar with his friend Karl Hanson, 53 who said: 'We're going to nine games in total so that's £1,000 per game. If England win today
Thousands of England fans are in Qatar - but the size of support is a fraction of the number that would normally travel to support the team
England fans getting ready for the game against USA tonight at The Pub in Kings Heath
England fan Ben Parson, from Fulham, and Lucy White, 24 from York, with her dad, Chris are in Doha to cheer on England
Darren Camill (right) with Karl Hanson (left) paid £50 for a pint and a chicken burger in Doha, but insist it will be worth it if England win tonight
England fans will be praying that Harry Kane is fully fit after an injury scare this week when he hurt his ankle during the Three Lions' 6-2 win over the Iranians.
One legal firm says it's had a 250 per cent surge in inquiries from bosses about their legal position if they suspect employees are bunking off.
Chris Macwilliam at Clough & Willis Solicitors said it had a spike in calls after England's 6-2 win against Iran on Monday. A YouGov poll found 11million employees
