WIREDGOV

England football fans are being urged to ‘Be On The Ball’ by following official FCO travel advice when travelling to Russia for the World Cup next summer.

With England now preparing for matches against Tunisia, Panama and Belgium next summer following Friday’s World Cup draw, thousands of England fans will be travelling to the three host cities of Volgograd, Nizhny Novgorod and Kaliningrad.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has been working with Russian authorities to help maximise the chances of a trouble-free tournament for fans, and the British Embassy in Moscow has visited all 11 of the host cities over the past year to discuss safety and security preparations.

The FCO’s ‘Be On The Ball’ campaign gives supporters simple advice and tips to help avoid preventable problems and boost their World Cup experience. This includes specific Russia 2018 travel advice, and a preparation checklist. The FCO offers a country-specific travel advice alert system and those travelling to Russia for the tournament are encouraged to sign-up to this.

Foreign Office Minister Sir Alan Duncan said:

We’re all looking forward to the World Cup in Russia next summer – nobody more so than those planning to travel for the tournament. Russia is getting ready to host the World Cup, but fans need to be prepared too.

We hope our advice will help fans Be On The Ball by planning ahead with appropriate travel insurance, passport validity, emergency numbers and other essentials.

Start doing your trip research now. Signing up to Russia travel advice alerts is the easiest and quickest way to receive any updates to our advice, to help ensure you have a safe and trouble-free visit.

The UK and Russia have been cooperating closely to ensure the safety of British supporters at the tournament. This has included regular visits by the UK police to Russia and reciprocal visits from the Russian police to the UK.

The signs from Russia have been promising – after recent Liverpool and Manchester United matches in Moscow, the embassy has recorded zero consular cases.

We want this success to continue, and enhanced security measures during the tournament will help to ensure those travelling from the UK can safely enjoy the games.

Ticket holders should apply for a FAN ID, which will give them free travel on match day, enable those with tickets to access stadiums, and will even act as their visa for the tournament. There’s also advice for fans without tickets, who will need to apply for a visa to travel.

Last year, Britons made 150,000 visits to Russia, and we are expecting tens of thousands more to travel next summer.

Further information

• Follow Foreign Office Minister Sir Alan Duncan on Twitter @AlanDuncanMP and Facebook
• Follow the Foreign Office on Twitter @foreignoffice and Facebook
• Follow the Foreign Office on Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn

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