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Jude Bellingham (left) and England look Iran astatine 13:00 GMT connected Monday with Aaron Ramsey (right) and Wales taking connected the United States astatine 19:00| Host nation: Qatar Dates: 20 November-18 December Coverage: Live connected BBC TV, BBC iPlayer, BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Cymru, BBC Sounds and the BBC Sport website and app. Day-by-day TV listings - Full sum details |
For England, it's been a four-year wait. For Wales, it's been a small longer. Sixty years longer, successful fact.
The 2022 World Cup's opening time featured conscionable 1 lucifer - Ecuador's low-key win implicit hosts Qatar - but the enactment volition beryllium cranked up connected Monday erstwhile Group B rivals England and Wales statesman their respective campaigns.
The Three Lions, who look Iran (13:00 GMT), person been hopeless for different ace astatine football's biggest prize since falling astatine the semi-final signifier successful Russia 4 years ago.
But erstwhile the Wales players locomotion retired connected to the transportation astatine Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium to look the United States (19:00), it volition beryllium the realisation of a 64-year dream.
Simply put, it's acceptable to beryllium a monolithic time for some nations.
Southgate wants to instrumentality England fans connected different travel
The World Cup has the powerfulness to bring a state to a standstill.
On Monday, extended luncheon breaks are definite to beryllium taken. Office televisions are apt to person the shot on. And yes, immoderate schoolchildren whitethorn beryllium fortunate capable to ticker the lucifer betwixt lessons.
Nobody volition privation to miss England's opener against Iran.
While Gareth Southgate's squad attracted disapproval aft being relegated successful the Nations League, England person captured the country's imaginativeness successful their past 2 tournaments.
After finishing 4th astatine the 2018 World Cup, they came agonisingly adjacent astatine past summer's European Championship, losing to Italy connected penalties successful the last astatine Wembley.
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"We person taken our supporters connected a fantastic travel implicit the past fewer years," said Southgate.
Now, Southgate and his players privation to instrumentality England fans connected different travel arsenic they bid to extremity 56 years of wounded successful the World Cup.
"Our state is going done a hard clip arsenic we speak," Southgate added. "Life has been hard for our radical - we are going done an economical recession - and we privation a travel that brings them existent happiness."
'As agelong arsenic we springiness 100% our state volition emotion america for that'
When Wales were knocked retired of the 1958 World Cup quarter-finals by a 17-year-old Pele and eventual winners Brazil, fewer would person predicted it would instrumentality them 64 years to grace football's biggest signifier for the 2nd time.
An estimated 3,000 Wales fans person travelled to Qatar. Those who couldn't marque it volition person to make the ambiance successful surviving rooms and pubs up and down the state connected Monday evening.
Yes, World Cup fever has gripped Wales - and skipper Gareth Bale tin consciousness it.
"Schools are going to halt to ticker our games [Wales' 2nd radical match, against Iran, kicks disconnected astatine 10:00 GMT]. It's 1 of those moments which is simply a monolithic portion of history, thing we person wanted," said Bale, who besides captained Wales astatine Euro 2020.
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"We person the enactment of the federation backmost home, nary substance what happens. As agelong arsenic we springiness 100% our state volition emotion america for that."
Bale, who said his archetypal representation of the World Cup was France '98, added: "Most importantly, the champion happening was to turn shot successful Wales and animate different generation, to get much kids playing football.
"By doing that, we'll hopefully person a stronger nationalist squad successful the aboriginal and, hopefully, idiosyncratic volition beryllium sitting present successful 20 years saying we person inspired them."
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