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Players, supporters, and reporters could all be seen struggling with swarms of bugs that had descended on Volgograd ahead of England and Tunisia's World Cup match.
- Bugs have taken over the World Cup match between England and Tunisia, with players and supporters alike being swarmed by flies and mosquitoes.
- Before the match, players could be seen liberally applying bug spray in an effort to repel the annoying pests through the match.
- Three more matches are scheduled to be held at the arena before the end of the World Cup.
England and Tunisia both faced an unexpected challenge ahead of their World Cup match on Monday: bugs.
Swarms of flies and mosquitoes appear to have taken a liking to the conditions in Volgograd, where the game is being held, leaving players, reporters, and supporters all struggling with the presence of the pests.
Even on Sunday night, reporters looking to shoot from the stadium were struggling to get through their segments.
Volgograd Arena is located right off of the Volga River, where rising water temperatures and low wind has apparently created something of a perfect storm for the bugs looking to bother the athletes on the pitch.
When it came time to get ready for the match, players could be seen swatting at the incessant insects, and applied bug spray liberally throughout their opening workouts.
Fans watching the match had to deal with the bugs as well. According to the Guardian, security measures that normally banned liquids had to be relaxed in order to accommodate fans with bug spray looking to make it through the game without getting eaten alive.
Three more games are scheduled to take place at Volgograd Arena before the World Cup comes to a close, withe the next match scheduled for June 22 between Iceland and Nigeria. Hopefully officials can figure out a way to better contain the bugs before the opening whistle.
More World Cup 2018 coverage:
- 8 teams to root for in the World Cup if your favorite country went bust in qualifying
- Iran's World Cup team is suddenly scrambling to find shoes to wear after Nike abruptly withdrew its supply
- The new World Cup uniforms for every country
- World Cup 2018: Everything you need to know about all 32 teams competing for the biggest prize in football
- The one player you need to know from every country competing in the 2018 FIFA World Cup
@Natpirks 1 - Mosquitoes 0. Lets hope they don't come out tomorrow night for the #England game #WorldCup2018 pic.twitter.com/k8uS27XZMC
- Rachel Price (@NewsCamerawoman) June 17, 2018
First time for everything: Just had to abort going live on Sky Sports News with seconds to spare because of invasion of flies outside England team hotel. Big problem here in Volgograd. Helicopters have been spraying insecticide over the stadium this week
- Kaveh Solhekol (@SkyKaveh) June 17, 2018
#ENG had to add some extra preparation ahead of their clash with #TUN due to a swarm of bugs #WorldCup pic.twitter.com/HCh2ukIeMf
- ITV News (@itvnews) June 18, 2018
Those bugs in Volgograd 😳#WorldCup pic.twitter.com/TVZMRbrgtM
- Indy Football (@IndyFootball) June 18, 2018
England fans - get this bug repellent. I have a feeling we're all going to need it tomorrow 👀 It's like playing real-life fruit ninja out there #WorldCup pic.twitter.com/nJTABOlPQV
- Scott D'Arcy (@DArcysj) June 17, 2018