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World Cup 2022 England vs Iran – kick-off time and where to watch in Manchester

Down tools and get to the pub,

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson - 21st November 2022

The World Cup 2022 in Qatar has finally kicked off, and England will play their first game of the tournament against Iran today.

The Three Lions have safely touched down in the Middle East ready to bring it home.

Gareth Southgate hasn’t yet announced his starting 11 for England vs Iran, but it’s widely expected that he’s set to play 4-3-3.

Bukayo Saka, Harry Maguire and Jude Bellingham are all tipped to be starting today’s match.

This opening England game lands squarely in the middle of the day for us at home in the UK – and a third of Brits are reportedly planning to pull sickies to watch it.

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Brits pulling sickies World Cup 2022. England vs Iran
Credit: Twitter, @England

Kick-off will be at 1pm UK time, which is 4pm in Qatar.

The rest of the group stages games for England will take place in the evenings.

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If you’re looking for somewhere to watch the game today, Manchester’s absolutely spoiling us with options.

You can see our full list of where to watch England vs Iran in Manchester here, but to give you a summary…

Europe’s largest fan zone has been built at Depot Mayfield as Road to Victory leaps into action.

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Then there’s the huge space at Love Factory out past Victoria, which comes complete with a Classic Football Shirts exhibition, themed pies, and even Singing Terraces.

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You can book tickets for Love Factory here.

Some of Manchester’s best pubs will show England vs Iran, including the Oast House, The Waldorf, and Tib Street Tavern.

And then there’s the dedicated sports bars, like BOX Deansgate, The Brotherhood of Pursuits and Pastimes, and The Directors Box.

Featured image: Twitter, @England

News

‘Unsettled week’ of wind, rain, and snow could greet Mancs into the new year

Thomas Melia Thomas Melia

A mix of weather conditions could be expected to hit the north across the new year weekend – including wind, rain, and snow.

As Greater Manchester prepares to enter 2025, it looks like we’ll be bringing our usual moody weather along with us too, as starting today and running right through until the end of this week, Mancs can expect some not-so-pleasant conditions to accompany this party season.

The Met Office has described this period as ‘an unsettled week’.

While forecasters are encouraging people to keep checking for further weather updates where possible, thankfully, this turbulent spell of weather is only predicted to stick around until Thursday (2 January) – with no warnings issued for this Friday (3 January) or the weekend so far.

In a video shared to the Met Office’s X account, the visual shows that the most severe cases of wet and windy conditions look like on New Year’s Day itself (Wednesday 1 January), where there is even some snow forecasted for certain areas.

“Almost the entire UK is covered by at least one weather warning during the coming week,” warned Andy Page, who is the Chief Forecaster at the Met Office.

He continued: “With lots of celebrations and people on the move over the coming days, we are urging everyone to keep checking the forecast so they can update their plans.”

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How ever you plan to celebrate the New Year season, make sure you double check weather reports and updates on the Met Office’s official site first.

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Image – Wikimedia Commons

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Picturesque Greater Manchester railway granted £1.3m to restore historic viaduct

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

One of Greater Manchester’s most picturesque railways has been given substantial funding to restore a historic viaduct along the line.

As part of the Government‘s wider Plan for Change, the Bury-based heritage railway, East Lancashire Railway (ELR), has been awarded more than £1.3 million in grants to carry out urgent repair work to the Higher Woodhill Viaduct – which is on the edge of Burrs Country Park, in the heart of the stunning Irwell Valley.

Repairs to the historic viaduct, which goes past the site of the former Higher Woodhill Mill, were last carried out all the way back in 1932.

But now, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has granted the funding for restoration through its ‘Community Ownership Fund’, alongside three local authorities from Bury, Rochdale, and the nearby Rossendale in Lancashire, all putting in a further £276,000 in match funding.

Important supporters of the railway, such as members of the public and local businesses, have also added a few thousand pounds more to the project.

While inspections to the structure and safety of the viaduct are carried out on a regular basis, ELR assures, it was flagged earlier in 2024 that long-term repairs would be required to allow for the “continued level of use” of steam and heritage diesel trains along the line.

Speaking on the funding being granted, Mike Kelly, who is the Chairman of East Lancashire Railway, commented: “This is a major investment for the future and a massive vote of confidence for our dedicated volunteers and staff to help secure the railway’s infrastructure for years to come.

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“Now with this fantastic news, we are able to continue running our award-winning events and services without disruption for future generations to enjoy, thanks to the generosity and support of the East Lancashire Railway Trust, our local community partners and supporters, as well as local and national politicians.”

Essential maintenance works are due to start next year in the spring.

Featured Image – Supplied

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