£640 a ticket? Why England fans in US may show next game a red card
Following England at the World Cup has already proved pricey and logistically challenging – not least as uncertainty over their knockout venues lingered until Saturday night.
But if England’s win over Panama confirmed their geographical route to the final, the manner of the victory has left some wondering whether to bother.
England are set to face the Democratic Republic of Congo on Wednesday in Atlanta, Georgia, the first time the two countries will have met.
But with tickets costing upwards of £640 – plus flights – some fans are wondering whether that might be better saved should England go deeper into the tournament.
Beat the 46th best team in the world and England will be heading to Mexico City’s Azteca Stadium – the scene of Diego Maradona’s infamous ‘Hand of God’ goal – and a potential round-of-16 clash with Mexico.
Luke Carey, 25, from Watford, said: ‘I’m heading straight to Mexico where hopefully we should be in the round of 16.
‘This has been the trip of a lifetime for me. It’s going to cost £8,000 and that’s tickets, travel, accommodation, food and drink.
‘I’ve got an Excel spreadsheet going and at the moment it’s £600 under budget which is good – it’s like being in Race Across The World.’
Jude Bellingham celebrates scoring England’s first goal against Panama on Saturday night
England fans celebrating the team’s 2-0 win over Panama after Bellingham and Harry Kane’s goals in the second half
Adam Alfandary, 39, originally from London but now living in New York, said after the 2-0 win over Panama: ‘It was rather unexciting, but we won. We’ve topped the group.
‘I was thinking, do I really want to spend 500 bucks to fly to Atlanta to watch that? But I think I will.’
However, not everyone was put off by the laboured victory, secured by goals from Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane.
Alfie Van Loo, 46, from Leatherhead in Surrey, said: ‘We were flat and poor until the goals but Kane and Bellingham did what they are paid for and scored.
‘To be honest, I wasn’t going to go to Atlanta I was going to just focus on Mexico, but I logged onto the Fifa website on Sunday morning and got a £1,000 resale ticket. I’m so excited.’
England supporters who flew out for all three group games have already clocked up 6,600 miles.
The route to the final adds another 5,000 miles, and with the flight home the grand total if England made it to the final would be 15,000 miles.
With cans of beer at £15 and hotels £225 a night, some fans have already shelled out between £4,000 and £10,000.
