[Source: Reuters]

A day after chaotic scenes and skirmishes marred the opening night of the World Cup fan festival, organisers seemed to have learned their lesson and streamlined the entry process ahead of Monday’s first game between England and Iran.

Yesterday’s match between hosts Qatar and Ecuador had thousands of fans trying to enter the 40,000-capacity venue but on Monday organisers prevented them from coming in through multiple entry points to manage the flow better.

A day after chaotic scenes and skirmishes marred the opening night of the World Cup fan festival, organisers seemed to have learned their lesson and streamlined the entry process ahead of Monday’s first game between England and Iran.

“It is good, they’ve controlled everything, because you know very well it was very crowded (yesterday). They managed well, so I am happy now – it is very free,” a fan named Kirish said.

The fan festival is being held at Al Bidda Park, a vast expanse of green space with the towering Doha skyline dominating the background.

A small crowd had already gathered around the giant screen and stage prior to kickoff as singers kept them entertained, but it quickly swelled in size minutes before kickoff.