VOLGOGRAD: England fans began to trickle into Volgograd today as the historic city offered a warm welcome before hosting its first World Cup match.

The Volgograd Arena stands on one of the major battlefields of World War Two, in the city formerly known as Stalingrad. Two million people died during the Battle of Stalingrad but the city was peaceful on a sultry day as excitement builds over Monday’sGroup G encounter between England and Tunisia. There had been a concern in the run-up to the World Cup that Volgograd could be a flashpoint because of its historical importance to Russia and the risk of potentially provocative behaviour by England fans.

Two years ago at Euro 2016, there were violent clashes involving England supporters sparked by Russian fans in the French city of Marseille. Most of the thousands of England fans expected for the match were due to arrive later Sunday after a 20-hour train journey from Moscow. “Officially through the FA (Football Association), England fans have bought 2,200 tickets for this game. But we expect a few more have got some in the neutral sections,” Thomas Concannon of England’s Football Supporters’ Federation (FSF) told AFP. “I doubt if anyone will come here without a ticket because they were still on sale and England hadn’t sold out their allocation.”