The Malta Football Association is expecting to have a close to capacity crowd at the National Stadium next Sunday for the opening World Cup Group F qualifier against Scotland.

Bjorn Vassallo, MFA secretary general, yesterday announced that 12,000 tickets had already been sold with at least 5,000 going to Scottish fans. The Ta’ Qali Stadium has a capacity of just over 17,000 (all seated).

He added that the association hoped to have a large crowd to watch the match, not only for the inauguration of the new hybrid surface, but also in the hope of having a large Maltese number of fans supporting the local side in trying to achieve a positive result.

He added: “We know that our players can rise to the occasion and we are confident they will be doing their very best to achieve a positive result. Our aim is to start the campaign on a positive note and therefore also earn the respect of all our opponents in the Group, and that also includes England.”

Vassallo said that England and Scotland were expected to fight it out to win the Group, even if England remained hot favourites.

He also announced that in all probability, the number of Maltese fans travelling to watch the match against England at Wembley in October will constitute a record.

The national team’s programme from now till the end of the year starts next Wednesday with an away friendly match against Estonia. On Sunday there will be the home World Cup qualifier against Scotland and that will be followed by the two World Cup qualifiers in October against England and Lithuania. In November, Malta plays another World Cup qualifier against Slovenia before playing against Euro 2016 quarterfinalists Iceland in a friendly match at Ta’ Qali.

 

Photo: Dominic Aquilina