Empty seats inside Khalifa International Stadium after ticketing problems left hundreds of fans stuck outside. Getty Images
Empty seats inside Khalifa International Stadium after ticketing problems left hundreds of fans stuck outside. Getty Images
Empty seats inside Khalifa International Stadium after ticketing problems left hundreds of fans stuck outside. Getty Images
Empty seats inside Khalifa International Stadium after ticketing problems left hundreds of fans stuck outside. Getty Images

Fifa ticket app fault leaves fans shut out of England v Iran match


Nick Webster
  • English
  • Arabic

LIVE: Fifa World Cup in Qatar

Hundreds of fans were shut out of the England versus Iran game on Monday evening due to a fault with Fifa's e-ticketing system.

Supporters told of their frustration as they stood outside Khalifa International Stadium in Doha after kick-off at 4pm (5pm UAE). Tickets seemingly disappeared from the Fifa app.

"We cannot see our tickets and there is this line, so we don't know what is going on," one fan told Reuters before the match.

"There is no point in panicking at this point. Good luck to everybody else."

Avinash Fernando of Sri Lanka said “all the tickets I have have disappeared", from the app.

Sections of the stadium — which was sold out in advance of England's opening game — were empty well into the match, which England led by 3-0 at half time and were 6-1 up going into added time after 90 minutes.

Fifa said: “Some spectators are currently experiencing an issue with accessing their tickets via the Fifa ticketing app. Fifa is working on solving the issue.

“In the meantime, fans who are not able to access their mobile tickets should check the email accounts they used to register with the ticketing app for further instructions.

"In case fans cannot access their email accounts, the stadium's Ticket Resolution Point will be able to support. We thank fans for their understanding as we work to fix the issue as soon as possible.”

England fan Paul Bine with the Hayya card that did not help his entry into the stadium. Andy Scott / The National
England fan Paul Bine with the Hayya card that did not help his entry into the stadium. Andy Scott / The National

After the match, England fan Paul Bine told The National that he eventually managed to get into the ground after spending 90 minutes trying resolve the issue.

“I got to the stadium in plenty of time, around two hours before kick-off," Mr Bine said.

"I got to the front of the queue but my app with the QR code wasn’t working so they wouldn’t let me in.

"I got another card out with my Hayya code on but that wasn’t working either. It was a nightmare.

"It took me about an hour and a half to get it sorted, with another print out of my ticket. I only just made kick-off. It was worth it though; 6-2 was a great result.”

  • Jude Bellingham celebrates with Mason Mount after scoring England's opening goal in the 6-2 victory against Iran at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha on November 21, 2022. AP
    Jude Bellingham celebrates with Mason Mount after scoring England's opening goal in the 6-2 victory against Iran at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha on November 21, 2022. AP
  • Jude Bellingham heads home for England's opener. AP
    Jude Bellingham heads home for England's opener. AP
  • Bukayo Saka celebrates scoring England's second goal. PA
    Bukayo Saka celebrates scoring England's second goal. PA
  • Bukayo Saka fires home the second for England. PA
    Bukayo Saka fires home the second for England. PA
  • England's Bukayo Saka celebrates scoring. PA
    England's Bukayo Saka celebrates scoring. PA
  • Raheem Sterling celebrates with teammates after scoring England's third goal before half-time. Getty
    Raheem Sterling celebrates with teammates after scoring England's third goal before half-time. Getty
  • Raheem Sterling after scoring. Getty
    Raheem Sterling after scoring. Getty
  • England's Raheem Sterling scores the third goal after a superb pass from Harry Kane. PA
    England's Raheem Sterling scores the third goal after a superb pass from Harry Kane. PA
  • Raheem Sterling celebrates after scoring England's third goal. Getty
    Raheem Sterling celebrates after scoring England's third goal. Getty
  • England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford celebrates the third goal. Getty
    England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford celebrates the third goal. Getty
  • Bukayo Saka celebrates after scoring England's fourth goal just after the hour. Gett
    Bukayo Saka celebrates after scoring England's fourth goal just after the hour. Gett
  • Saka scores the fourth. AP
    Saka scores the fourth. AP
  • Iran's Mehdi Taremi pulls a goal back to make the score 4-1. Getty
    Iran's Mehdi Taremi pulls a goal back to make the score 4-1. Getty
  • Mehdi Taremi celebrates with Mehdi Torabi after scoring. Getty
    Mehdi Taremi celebrates with Mehdi Torabi after scoring. Getty
  • Marcus Rashford celebrates with Phil Foden and Harry Kane after adding England's fifth. PA
    Marcus Rashford celebrates with Phil Foden and Harry Kane after adding England's fifth. PA
  • Marcus Rashford scores the fifth. Getty
    Marcus Rashford scores the fifth. Getty
  • Marcus Rashford and Phil Foden after the fifth goal. Getty
    Marcus Rashford and Phil Foden after the fifth goal. Getty
  • Jack Grealish celebrates after scoring England's sixth goal. EPA
    Jack Grealish celebrates after scoring England's sixth goal. EPA
  • Grealish scores No 6 for England. EPA
    Grealish scores No 6 for England. EPA
  • Jack Grealish celebrates with Marcus Rashford, Phil Foden and Callum Wilson. Getty
    Jack Grealish celebrates with Marcus Rashford, Phil Foden and Callum Wilson. Getty
  • Mehdi Taremi after scoring from the penalty spot to make it 6-2 in the last seconds. Getty
    Mehdi Taremi after scoring from the penalty spot to make it 6-2 in the last seconds. Getty
Premier League results

Saturday

Crystal Palace 1 Brighton & Hove Albion 2

Cardiff City 2 West Ham United 0

Huddersfield Town 0 Bournemouth 2

Leicester City 3 Fulham 1

Newcastle United 3 Everton 2

Southampton 2 Tottenham Hotspur 1

Manchester City 3 Watford 1

Sunday

Liverpool 4 Burnley 2

Chelsea 1 Wolverhampton Wanderers 1

Arsenal 2 Manchester United 0

 

THREE
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Updated: November 21, 2022, 4:49 PM