EXCLUSIVE: British fans will outnumber those of all other nations at the 2023 Ryder Cup – including hosts Italy…  as hordes of Brits are hit with lengthy delays at Rome Airport

There will be more British fans than any other country, including hosts Italy, at the Ryder Cup in Rome.

Mail Sport understands that European supporters from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have secured more tickets than those from any other country for the transatlantic battle, which starts on Friday.

They are followed by the Americans, with the Italians in third place. Behind them come fans from Germany and then Ireland. In total, people from 80 countries are expected to attend during the duration of the tournament.

Although final figures have yet to be calculated, officials expect that around 32 percent (16,000) of the 50,000 expected each day will come from Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

As this newspaper revealed, as many as 15,000 Americans could be on hand each day to cheer on Zach Johnson’s visitors, with a much larger contingent crossing the Atlantic than the one that traveled to Paris in 2018.

Although Italy is not one of golf’s powerhouses, the fact that the tournament is taking place in Rome has boosted ticket sales, pushing players from here into third place in terms of numbers.

Meanwhile, hordes of Brits were hit by long queues at Rome airport on Thursday morning, with delays of more than an hour reported at passport control.

The problems were attributed to the fact that Britons now have to have their passports stamped at European airports after Brexit.

One fan ruefully explained: ‘There are thousands of people from Britain coming here to support Europe, but they weren’t allowed in through the gates with the flag of the side they’re all standing here cheering on – which are empty goods. The irony was not lost on them!’