England fans flood Times Square as thousands descend on New York for Panama clash

Tens of thousands of England supporters have converged on New York City ahead of Saturday’s World Cup group-stage match against Panama at the stadium in New Jersey, with fans packing Times Square, bars, and fan zones across Manhattan.

Up to 25,000 England supporters are expected inside the ground, with the remainder spreading across the city’s FanFests and pubs. At the Football Factory bar beneath the Empire State Building — a well-known hub for English fans on match days — supporters gathered to watch other World Cup fixtures while swapping stories of their journeys across the United States.

Thomas Tuchel’s squad flew down from their Kansas City base on Friday, with temperatures at kick-off expected to hover around 23°C — relatively mild for the time of year.

Among those making the trip are darts stars Luke Littler and Luke Humphries, who have been attending a tournament at Madison Square Garden and are expected to travel out of Manhattan to watch the match. Littler is a Manchester United supporter and Humphries backs Leeds United; the pair were also spotted together at Cheltenham races earlier this year.

Fans arrived in New York by plane, train, car, and bus from Boston, where England played their previous group fixture. Crowds were visible at Penn Station, Grand Central, and the Port Authority bus terminal throughout Friday.

Mark Harrison, 63, from Bedford, was among those with a ticket for the game. “I really hope we win so we top the group,” he said. “I know we then potentially meet Mexico and Brazil before the semi-finals but we can beat both of them on our day.”

Mark Trigg, 52, from Derby, has followed England to the friendlies in Florida, the victory over Croatia in Dallas, and the 0-0 draw with Ghana in Foxborough. Travelling with fellow Derby fan Garford Beck, 64, and Portsmouth supporters Ian Dendy, 56, and Ian Holland, 73, his group faced a setback when their coach from Boston broke down, turning a four-hour journey into seven.

“It has been a lot of travelling around but we have had a really good time,” Trigg said. “I dread to think how much the trip has cost — I am trying not to think about it. But I want to stay as long as England are here and we have tickets for all the knockout rounds.”