England supporters will no doubt be plotting their way to the final, despite the result against Belgium. With the pre-match talk dominated by the suspicion that finishing second in Group G would be beneficial, fans could shrug off defeat by focusing on the long game.
In the end Adnan Januzaj’s goal was enough to put Belgium on top and send them on the long journey to Rostov-on-Don, in southern Russia, to play Japan on Monday. England will play Colombia a day later at the Spartak Stadium in the capital. Belgium, should they beat Japan, will face the winners of Brazil v Mexico, while England’s potential quarter-final will now be against the winners of Switzerland v Sweden. It is not just the quality of opposition further down the line that made second place appear attractive. England, by finishing the runners-up, have reduced their travel time in the case of a successful run through the tournament. England’s theoretical route to the final, had they finished in first place, would have involved travel to Rostov, Kazan and St Petersburg, before the final in Moscow. Having finished second, all potential games bar the quarter-final will in Moscow.
The Spartak Stadium where England will play Colombia is the smaller of the two Moscow venues in use for the tournament, and tickets for Moscow games have been very hard to obtain, making it likely that England fans without tickets will find it hard to obtain them.
Gaining visa-free entrance to Russia during the time of the tournament is possible only for people with a Fan ID, which is technically only obtainable after match tickets have been purchased. There have been reports of some fans being able to obtain multiple Fan IDs with the same ticket, making it theoretically possible for fans to arrive in Russia and attempt to buy tickets before the game.
Supporter groups estimated that as many as 5,000 England fans travelled to Kaliningrad for the game against Belgium, more than the group games against Tunisia and Panama. This was due to a combination of growing optimism about the England team, positive reports from friends already in Russia, and more transport options for getting to Russia’s exclave on the Baltic coast. Many fans travelled via Gdansk in Poland or cities in Lithuania, entering Kaliningrad by coach or taxi.
As the tournament continues, there is more and more interest from England fans in travel to Russia. Fears of violence have dissipated as it becomes clear Russia is determined to put on a smiling face for the World Cup. Hooligans have been told to stay away by Russian security services and police ordered to show lenience to visiting fans.
In Kaliningrad, England fans were more visible and more boisterous than they had been in previous cities. The night before the game, groups of England fans set up residence in bars in Victory Square. The favoured song of the tournament, ending in “England’s going all the way”, is now being sung with conviction rather than ironic optimism.
“Loads of people are going to be looking at coming out now,” said David Boxall, 26, who was seeing his first game at the World Cup in Kaliningrad and was keen to obtain tickets for further games. “I think a lot of people were really wary at the start, but everyone I know is just raring to go now.”
