England squad leave St George's Park in Burton-on-Trent for World Cup in Qatar

• Pictures from the FA

The England squad has left St George's Park in Burton-on-Trent this morning to catch their flight to Qatar for the World Cup.

The two coaches set off from the training ground, with crowds of school children cheering them on their way - waving flags despite the pouring rain and cheering "England, England!".

The bags were loaded and the coaches left at around 8am this morning for the team to begin their world cup journey.

Their first game is next Monday against Iran.

The squad are expected to fly to Qatar on a plane called “Rain Bow”.

Part of the Virgin Atlantic fleet, the Airbus, also features a cartoon figure of a man holding a union flag and wearing rainbow-coloured trainers.

The aircraft, chartered by the FA, has a registration number GV-PRD an abbreviation of ‘Pride’.

While the FA did not ask for this specific plane, they are understood to be perfectly happy with it being used.

The Prince of Wales visited the England squad at St George’s Park ahead of their trip.

William joined a private meeting at the team’s Staffordshire training ground on Monday evening.

An official image of the squad has also been released.