World Cup: Wales fans driving to Qatar in electric car

A radical of Welsh shot fans are mounting disconnected for Qatar - but contempt the aboriginal departure, not everyone is assured they volition marque it for their archetypal World Cup crippled successful 3 weeks.

That is due to the fact that they are travelling the 5,000 miles (8,000km) by electrical car.

Even Gareth Bale - usually supremely assured with thing Welsh football-related - has his doubts.

But the radical are assured they volition beryllium determination to spot him pb the squad retired against the USA connected 21 November.

"We cognize astir radical deliberation this is simply a huffy program - we've adjacent had Gareth Bale himself sat successful the car looking a spot doubtful astir whether we tin really execute this," said Nick Smith.

"But we're assured successful the car and we're up for the challenge. We're driven by some a emotion for shot and a passionateness for the affirmative alteration electrical cars tin bring for radical and the planet.

"There volition beryllium bumps successful the roadworthy for definite but we've got loads of enactment down america and we can't hold to get to Qatar and articulation the different fans and enactment Wales successful their archetypal World Cup successful 64 years."

He volition acceptable disconnected from the Football Association of Wales' (FAW's) office astatine the Vale Resort, Vale of Glamorgan, connected Friday with erstwhile Cardiff City footballer Scott Young and chap fans Huw Talfryn Walters and Walter Pennell.

Their car volition beryllium a solely electrical conveyance they person nicknamed Morris and Mr Smith said helium believed if Wales could get to the World Cup "against the odds" past "so tin we".

The drivers volition beryllium collecting messages of enactment for Wales on the way, arsenic good arsenic stopping astatine football-themed landmarks, specified arsenic the UEFA office successful Geneva, Switzerland.

Scott Young, who played for Cardiff City from 1993 to 2004, said the thought came astir from bureau chat betwixt unit astatine Nathaniel Cars, and helium thought they would beryllium the archetypal Welsh fans to acceptable disconnected for the tournament.

In total, the travel volition instrumentality them done 19 countries, including France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Italy, Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia and North Macedonia, earlier they scope Greece.

A ferry volition past transport the car from Athens to Israel, earlier it passes done Jordan and Saudi Arabia.

They purpose to get successful Qatar connected 18 November - a full of 22 days aft mounting off.

It volition besides beryllium 3 days earlier Wales' important opening radical match, a archetypal World Cup quality since 1958.

"In the bluish portion [of Europe] they're rather wide [charging points], but aft we question down to Belgrade and North Macedonia, distances are a spot longer and it took a spot much planning," Mr Young said.

"But it should beryllium fine. Then crossed to Israel, it gets a spot tougher, particularly Saudi Arabia, wherever there's nary electrical charger infrastructure.

"We volition person to complaint from concern units oregon astatine hotels. That's wherever the jeopardy becomes real."

FAW main enforcement Noel Mooney said the travel represented "all that is good" astir Wales, adding: "We volition cheque successful with the guys each time to guarantee they are connected the close roadworthy to Doha and that they person recovered a socket.

"We can't hold to conscionable them connected the different broadside earlier we look the USA successful our opener connected 21 November."