Qatar is the smallest host nation in World Cup history, with a population of around three million living in an area approximately half the size of Wales.

It will be a compact event with the eight stadiums separated by roughly an hour's drive and 43 miles at most, with 110 metro trains and 4,000 buses to ferry fans around.

It will be a different World Cup in many ways, so what can supporters expect?

How many fans are going?

About 3,000 to 4,000 England fans are expected to travel to Qatar for the group stages, with numbers set to increase should Gareth Southgate's side reach the knockout stages.

An estimated 2,000 to 3,000 supporters will fly out to follow Wales, who are playing in their first World Cup since 1958.

Ashley Brown, the Football Supporters' Association head of supporter engagement, says the "big unknown" is the number of British expats, with "more than 20,000 British passport holders in Qatar and probably over 100,000 overall in the region".

Brown says England fans are not travelling in the same numbers as previous tournaments because of the costs involved, while the timing of the World Cup - outside of the usual summer school holidays - will "impact the ability of families to attend".

"For a lot of people Qatar doesn't sound like an exciting place to go, it's not a typical holiday destination, lack of alcohol availability, cost of getting there, cost when you're there, it's put a lot of people off," added Brown. "The cost of living absolutely plays a part in that."

Paul Corkrey, of the Football Supporters' Association Cymru added: "We took 50,000 to the 2016 Euros in France so the response has been muted mainly because of the location and time of year it is being played."

Tournament organiser Fifa has issued a top-10 list of ticket sales by country of buyers, with Qatar on top and England fourth.

It has not released a breakdown of figures by nation, or how many have been allocated to sponsors or local residents.

Where are fans staying and how much will it cost?

Apartments, hotel rooms, desert camping, villas, fan villages - and even cabins on moored cruise ships have been made available.

But some fans have complained of limited and expensive accommodation options.

Organisers are making 30,000 extra rooms available, which they say is the equivalent of one million nights and will help provide 130,000 rooms in all, including 9,000 beds in fans villages - big tents and metal cabins - 60,000 rooms in apartments and villas, 50,000 in hotels and 4,000 rooms in two cruise ships which will remain docked for the tournament.

However, it remains unclear whether that will be enough to meet demand.

The refabricated cabins at so-called fan villages built in the desert on the outskirts of Doha have attracted media attention and are being sold as a budget option. They are priced at $207 (£184) per night for two people.

Accommodation in the fans' village has been described as resembling shipping containers

Amenities in each en-suite cabin include tea and coffee making facilities, two bottles of water per day, a fridge, bed linen and bathroom towels