England fan spends £40,000 house deposit to follow Three Lions to World Cup final

Jack Goodwin has spent his entire £40,000 house deposit following England through the 2026 World Cup in the United States, pre-booking hotels, flights and match tickets all the way to the final at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on July 19.

The 34-year-old from Chichester, West Sussex, made the trip with his father, travelling through Dallas, Boston, New York and Atlanta as England progressed through the group stage and into the knockout rounds. A ticket to the final alone cost him the equivalent of around £4,000 — purchased at face value through the England Supporters Club at 8,000 Australian dollars for a category-two seat.

“I saved up for a house and I blew my whole house deposit taking me and my dad out,” Goodwin said. “How long’s a piece of string? A good £40,000.”

The Stoke City supporter admitted the pair were nervous during England’s final group-stage fixture, a 0-0 draw at half-time against Panama, because their entire onward ticket allocation — secured through the FIFA ballot — was contingent on England topping the group. “We were sweating because if we didn’t top the group, all of our tickets would have become invalid,” he said.

England did top the group, and Goodwin’s plans remained intact. Speaking ahead of the last-16 tie against the Democratic Republic of the Congo in Atlanta, he was bullish about what lay ahead. “We’re going to smash them 4-0 and we’re going to play Mexico in the Azteca this Sunday, which will be the dream game of all games,” he said.

Goodwin acknowledged the cost was steep even at official prices. Group-stage seats had run to around 350 dollars each — “we were in the Gods” — while category-one tickets for the later rounds were 600 dollars face value. He was unapologetic about the outlay. “I’ve got no kids, I’ve got no wife, so why not? This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

His father’s optimism, he said, was the deciding factor in committing to flights and accommodation weeks in advance. “My dad was pretty confident, so I went with his confidence.”