A company based in Dorset has suffered a ‘major loss’ after purchasing 18,000 T-shirts sporting the message: “England, World Cup winners 2022.”

England were eliminated from the World Cup on Saturday after suffering a 2-1 defeat to France in the quarter-finals – and this came after Karl Baxter had purchased thousands of T-shirts in anticipation of Gareth Southgate’s team lifting the trophy.

Mr Baxter, managing director of Poole-based Wholesale Clearance UK, had intended to sell the shirts for £29.99 each, but he has now been forced to sell them at a reduced cost. The shirts carry the message: “England, World Cup winners 2022. [Football is] finally home.”

“I’m absolutely gutted that England has been knocked out of the World Cup,” Mr Baxter said in a press release.

“I have been really impressed with England’s performance in Qatar and was sure they would win this year’s tournament. When approached by a supplier to sell the shirts, I simply couldn’t say, ‘No.’

“But now I’ve been left with 18,000 shirts that say they’ve won, and I’m not sure what to do.

“I’d like to appeal to England fans to purchase one of the shirts, to keep it as a piece of history and a reminder of how well our team played throughout the tournament. While they haven’t won, they are still winners in my eyes.”

The England team on the other hand was favorites to win with the impressive run in the last edition of the tournament in Russia and the second-place finish in the Euro 2020.