British fans have been warned that terrorists are ‘likely’ to try and target the World Cup in Qatar — although security experts say the risk of a large-scale attack is low.  

The Qatari authorities are expected to intensively monitor crowds and individuals as an estimated 1.2 million international visitors descend on the Gulf emirate for the FIFA games. 

The UK is among participating nations that are providing military resources, security personnel and other types of support to the hosts.

Travel advice from the British government currently states: ‘Terrorists are likely to try to carry out attacks in Qatar. Attacks could be indiscriminate, including in places visited by foreigners.’ 

However two analysts told Metro.co.uk that an internationally-assisted security blanket will make any sophisticated attack unlikely in the oil-rich state, where the first game kicks off today.  

Security expert Will Geddes said: ‘Qatar is a reasonably secure location given it is a small country and it is pretty easy to control that environment.

‘The Qataris not only have their domestic security but they have brought in US and UK security advisors and personnel to assist.  

‘One thing you can say about Qatar is that they can throw money at security, making it very difficult for anyone to carry out an attack with any degree of sophistication. They will obviously be very conscious of the fact that they are now in the world’s glare when they have been striving for a long time to be the equivalent of Dubai. If they get this wrong, it will not aid their journey in trying to increase their profile.’ 

International assistance includes the UK tasking three Royal Navy ships with patrolling sea lanes around the Gulf state, checking for bombs and mines. The Ministry of Defence is also providing advanced venue search training, operational planning support and RAF air patrols through the joint Typhoon Squadron. The skyborne counter-terrorism element falls under an existing partnership between the two countries

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