News Focus
- England supporters paid up to $800 for tickets to see the Three Lions beat Croatia
- An estimated 15,000 fans travelled to Texas despite only 4,000 holding match tickets
- One pub in Dallas sold out of beer after fans spent $30,000 in just three hours
- New manager Thomas Tuchel impressed supporters with his attacking style
- Fans now face an $80 train journey to Boston for the next match against Ghana
Thousands of England supporters have packed the city of Dallas to support their team at the 2026 World Cup. Many spent huge sums of money to watch Thomas Tuchel manage his first competitive game. The Three Lions faced Croatia at Arlington Stadium and secured a victory in their opening match.
Oli Lee works as a music producer in Los Angeles. He originally comes from Kent in England. Lee paid $800 for his ticket, which equals about £604. He said the cost was worth every penny. The artist, who is one half of the Snakehips music group, also enjoyed the local cowboy culture. He even jumped into a pool with his phone in his pocket.
Official figures show that 4,000 fans bought tickets for the game at the modern stadium. However, experts believe around 15,000 English fans travelled to Texas for the event. Many visited the famous Fort Worth Rodeo. A video shows them singing “Sweet Caroline” at the rodeo. This clip became very popular on social media. Fans also bought cowboy hats to protect themselves from the hot Texas sun.
Local bars saw heavy business from the visitors. The Londoner pub in the city centre ran out of beer. The owner said fans spent nearly $30,000 inside three hours. Some UK newspapers reported that police threw fans out. But the police told local reporters this was not true. They said nobody was forced to leave.
The security at the stadium was very strict. FIFA said rumours about ticketless fans entering the ground were false. Some supporters paid more than $1,000 for tickets from resale websites. A spokesman for the Free Lions fan group said some people flew to America without tickets. They hoped to buy cheap tickets at the last minute.
Lee Williams comes from south London. He works in finance and coaches young players at Millwall Lionesses. He planned his trip many months ago. First he watched the opening match in Los Angeles. Then he spent time on the beach in Mexico. He reached Dallas on Tuesday. He hopes to come back for the semi-finals if England gets that far.
“The atmosphere has been amazing,” he said. “But everything costs so much. I bought six beers and the bill was over $100. I am scared to look at my bank balance.”
Williams liked how Tuchel spoke to the players at half-time. England had let Croatia score an equaliser just before the break. But the team played much better in the second half. Williams thinks Tuchel takes more risks than former manager Gareth Southgate. However, he worries about the defence. He wants Marc Guéhi to play at centre-back. He believes the team needs a solid defence to win the tournament.
Fan groups visited all three group venues in March. They wanted to warn supporters what to expect. Most fans will take the train to the next game. This trip to Boston costs $80. England will play Ghana at Gillette Stadium. Williams will watch this match from home in Los Angeles.
“I feel so nervous during games,” he explained. “I worried when Harry Kane missed a penalty. But the team improved as the match went on. I think we can win the World Cup this year.”