HERE we go – fans are gearing up for England’s first game in the World Cup tonight.

Bars and other venues will be packed as spectators prepare for an 11pm kick-off in a tough opener against Italy.

The Junction Hotel in Dorchester is among the venues showing the match.

Weymouth’s bars will also be packed out and the Pavilion will be opening its doors for a free screening of the game from the Arena Amazonia in Manaus, Brazil. Entry is on a first come-first served basis.

Meanwhile, Dorchester Round Table has organised a screening of the match at the Spice Centre in High West Street that will also see funds raised for good causes.

But, before that, Columbia play Greece in the first Group C match at 5pm, before England’s group rivals, Uruguay and Costa Rica, go head-to-head at 8pm.

• See all our coverage, fixtures and results and group tables in our World Cup section

The eyes of the nation will be on Manaus late tonight, as England take to the pitch at the 2014 World Cup for the first time.

Although the expectation levels seem to have been lowered in recent years, hope will spring eternal for many fans.

There can be few tougher starts than Italy, but avoiding defeat will be a minimum requirement for England to give themselves a chance of getting through to the knockout stages, with Costa Rica and Uruguay likely to be feeling at home in the heat of Brazil.