England and Wales fans throw chairs and punches in violent clashes outside bars

Dozens of England and Wales fans violently clashed outside bars in Tenerife ahead of their World Cup match on Tuesday.

Viral footage posted to social media on Friday night revealed the two sets of supporters were involved in a mass punch-up outside of Tenerife's Revolution and O'Neill's bars.

The video, captioned “England V Wales pre match in Tenerife”, shows fans wearing red tops and Wales jerseys, facing off with those in England tops on the other side of the road after the Three Lions' miserable draw against the USA.

Amongst the shocking scenes, several brutal punches as well as chairs are thrown. One man in a black t-shirt can be seen being knocked to the ground after a punch from behind by an England fan.

A chair is then thrown at him and launched back, before the camera pans to right outside of the bars where another clash is occurring. More vicious punches, kicks and chairs are thrown for the remainder of the video's two-minute duration, as scuffles continue to break out between the sets of supporters.

Fans on social media have meanwhile condemned the distressing scenes. One Twitter user wrote: "People can't just go out and have fun without having a fight. Pathetic." while another added: "Embarrassing."

A third tweeted: "Any one who wants to fight with a complete stranger because they were born in a different place or just so happen to support a different team is backward. They'll grow up one day."

A fourth commented: "Wonder why Qatar don't want to bend their laws and beliefs on alcohol," along with laughing face emojis.

It comes as thousands of fans flocked to the Spanish island ahead of the World Cup to watch the tournament, which is being held in Qatar.

An estimated 3-5000 Wales fans are believed to be in Tenerife rather than Qatar for the World Cup. It has been reported as the 'unofficial' Welsh destination for the World Cup.

Among the reasons are the island's affordability and the availability of alcohol, in comparison to the middle-eastern country's strict laws and lofty accommodation prices. Qatar's sketchy human rights record is believed to be another reason why fans have chosen Tenerife as their World Cup spot.

The outbreak of fighting comes after Gareth Southgate's England side were held to a disappointing draw by Group B rivals USA. The Euro 2020 finalists lacked any form of creativity in attack and were on the back foot for large parts of the game.

They nonetheless lead their group with four points, while Wales sit rock bottom after their shock 2-0 defeat to Iran.

Rob Page's men never quite got going at the Ahmed bin Ali stadium but looked to be set for a draw. Any hope of a result was crushed in the 98th minute by Iran's Rouzbeh Cheshmi who netted a stunning strike from range, before Wales suffered even more disappointment with a second goal conceded 101 minutes in.