England fans spend £15,000 each to follow Three Lions into World Cup knockout stage

England fans are celebrating in New Jersey ahead of Tuesday’s World Cup 2026 Group L fixture against Panama, with Tuchel’s side already assured of a place in the knockout stage. A win would all but guarantee England top spot in the group.

Inside the American Dream fanzone, supporters from across England gathered at the Yard House Pub, flags from Bristol City, Huddersfield Town, Middlesbrough and the Pennsylvania Owls draped around them as Neil Diamond’s ‘Sweet Caroline’ played over the speakers. Two-and-a-half-pint ales at $16 (£12) were flowing as fans mixed with Panama supporters and American neutrals.

For Bristol City fans Richard Iles, 55, and Andrew Rodgers, 56, the Panama game marks the end of a £30,000 shared trip that took in all three group games. Richard, who also attended the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, reflected on the cost: “We have really enjoyed the experience. The tickets are too expensive, the travel is too expensive, everything is too expensive — but we are having fun. What do you do as a fan? You either pay or you don’t come.”

Andrew drew a sharp contrast with Qatar, where all stadiums were within 90 minutes of their hotel and public transport was straightforward. “We paid 12,000 US dollars each for the package here because it provided tickets to each game, hotels and transfers. But the flights home are on top of that so it will have been around £15,000 each,” he said. The pair also attended Friday night’s darts at Madison Square Garden, where Luke Littler lost 8-7 to Luke Humphries — a ticket that cost $123, with pints at £18, yet drew a crowd of around 5,000, almost entirely English.

Wolves fan Braden Webb, 20, from Stafford, travelling with his father Paul, 63, described a more spontaneous experience. After meeting American fans at the Ghana game, the pair were offered a lift to the stadium and found themselves tailgating with Ghana supporters — the US tradition of barbecuing from the back of vehicles in stadium car parks. “Can you imagine doing that at Molineux?” said Braden, a University of Birmingham student training to be a PE teacher. “We were sitting with the opposition fans and Americans cheering for Ghana. That was grinding my gears. But the stadium was amazing.”

England’s progression to the last 16 means some supporters are already heading home after the Panama fixture, their World Cup adventure complete regardless of the result.