Doha. England plays the round of 16 against Senegal today.
However, the wives and girlfriends of the players are already ready for the final.
After ten days on a luxury boat, the families have now moved into a hotel next to the final circuit in Lusail.
Many European fans are boycotting the World Cup in Qatar, but this does not apply to the English players. Even before the World Cup, the so-called “WAGs” were in trouble when it turned out that Netflix wanted to create a series that followed their lives before and during the tournament. Etihad captain Gareth Southgate criticized the proposal, commenting publicly:
“I would be surprised if our team has any interest in joining.”
Not only was the series covered in English newspapers before the tournament, it was also reported that the wives of the players were given several instructions on how to behave in Qatar.
I got a list of rules of conduct
According to The Sun, the FA has urged family members to “dress appropriately” on stadiums, and not to drink alcohol in public or take pictures where security personnel or government buildings appear.
Two days before England’s opening match against Iran, several of the players’ wives moved into what is described as “the most amazing boat ever built”, according to The Guardian.
The ship’s official name is MSC World Europa but it has been named HMS WAG and is said to have cost over ten billion to build. Everything on the boat is included in the price, 10,000 kroner a night in a suite, but after England beat Iran 6-2, families reportedly spent another 200,000 kroner on a karaoke night to celebrate.
Departure of the luxury boat and Banana Island
However, it is not a collective group of wives and girlfriends who used to live on the boat, players with children, according to British newspapers, live on Banana Island, where families have access to their own private island with many different beaches and swimming pools away from the paparazzi.
But after England won their group and set up for the last 16 against Senegal, their families took the opportunity to get together and have now moved into the Waldorf Hotel.
The fact that families are moving is not strange in itself, but the British media is reacting to the fact that the hotel is located in the newly built Lusail area, 15 kilometers outside the center of Doha but only five minutes from the square. Where the final match will be held on December 18th.
It remains to be seen whether or not the sides of Jack Grealish, Jordan Pickford and Luke Shaw, among others, can celebrate their World Cup title at the hotel overlooking the Golden Square.
The round of 16 between England and Senegal starts at 20.00 Swedish time.
