England football fans heading to Malta have been warned to keep an eye on their passports when in the country.
On Friday, June 16 the Three Lions will take on representatives of the small island nation in the hopes of progressing their Euro 2024 campaign.
Several thousand England fans are expected to make the journey to Ta Qali, a wide open space in the centre of the country where the nation's main stadium is based.
The UK Foreign Office has issued travel advice for those making the journey this week, urging them to keep safe and aware when heading to the match.
"The England football team will be in Malta for the UEFA Euro 2024 Qualifier in Ta Qali on Friday 16 June 2023," the advice reads.
"If you are travelling to Malta for the match, you are encouraged to read our Travel Advice and sign up for Travel Advice email alerts.
"Plan your movement around the city, and follow the instructions of the local authorities. Take care of your personal possessions including passports, especially in crowds and on public transport."
Public transport is scheduled to and from the Stadium from several locations across the island, details of which are available on the Malta Football Association website.
It is important to note that around 500,000 British tourists visit Malta every year, and that most visits are trouble-free.
If you are planning on heading to the match and are considering extending you stay to check out the country, then there is plenty to see.
While some visitors go for culture-packed city breaks or fly in for festivals and club nights, others get lost in the fantasy of escaping to a sun-drenched island, eating local specialities by the sea and flopping by the hotel pool.
Malta is a mosaic of colours and cultures, as many civilizations have left their mark on this archipelago, including the Romans, Moors, Knights of Saint John, French and British.
Brits can see parts of their lives back home echoed here, from driving on the left to the red telephone boxes bringing back memories of a bygone era from home. Fluent English is spoken everywhere.
The Pub, a famous haunt for Brits on Malta, is where Oliver Reed took his last drink and died while filming Gladiator.
Valletta, Malta’s UNESCO-recognised capital, is bursting with opulent palaces and ornate churches full of spectacular interiors and significant collections. In the Grandmaster’s Palace, the state rooms hold painted scenes of the 16th-century Great Siege.
At St John’s Co-Cathedral Museum, built by the Knights of Saint John in the 16th century, there are exquisite gilded rooms, marble floors and painted arched ceilings. The oratory displays two original masterpieces by Caravaggio, The Beheading Of Saint John the Baptist and Saint Jerome Writing.
Valletta was crowned European Capital of Culture in 2018 and boasts an array of pioneering galleries and creative spaces.
Stretching just nine miles wide and 17 miles long, it’s easy to cherry-pick your way around the huge array of sights and attractions here.
Tick off historic landmarks such as the Maritime Museum, set in a former naval bakery in Birgu. Charting 7,000 years of maritime history, it houses 20,000 artefacts and is the biggest museum on the island.
Game Of Thrones fans might like to walk across Mdina Gate, the entrance to the “silent city”, which doubled as the gateway to King’s Landing.
If you fancy a lavish feast in grand surroundings, head to Xara Palace, a former 17th-century palazzo-turned Relais & Chateaux hotel within Mdina’s city walls.
