Jack Goodwin has spent his entire £40,000 house deposit on a ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ trip to follow England at the World Cup – but as he arrived in Atlanta for the last-32 clash against DR Congo, Thomas Tuchel confirmed two right-backs are out injured.
Goodwin, 34, from Chichester, West Sussex, pre-booked hotels, flights and tickets to every England game, including the final in New Jersey on 19 July. ‘Me and my dad, we’ve been here since Dallas,’ he said. ‘We’ve done Dallas, Boston, New York, arrived in Atlanta … and we’re going all the way to the final and we’re going to watch us win the World Cup.’ He admitted he was ‘sweating’ when Panama held England to a 0-0 draw at half-time in the final group game, because their tickets were via the FIFA ballot and would have become invalid if England did not top the group.
“England fan blows £40,000 house deposit on World Cup trip as Tuchel loses two right-backs to injury.”
Goodwin estimated the total cost at ‘a good £40,000’. ‘I saved up for a house and I blew my whole house deposit taking me and my dad out,’ he said. ‘I’ve got no kids, I’ve got no wife, so why not?’
His optimism faces a test: England’s right-back options are depleted. Jarell Quansah and Reece James missed training on Tuesday before Wednesday’s game in Atlanta (17:00 BST, live on BBC One and iPlayer). Quansah came off with a twisted ankle in the 2-0 win over Panama, while James has a hamstring injury sustained in the 0-0 draw with Ghana. ‘They are getting close,’ Tuchel said. ‘In the nature of their injury, Jarell is a little bit ahead of Reece. But the race was close even to make it into the match squad this time, so we need to make sure that we have more matches.’
The manager could use Djed Spence at right-back again, or move Ezri Konsa from central defence. Spence played the last 10 minutes of the opening win over Croatia at left-back and started the Ghana draw at left-back before replacing Quansah against Panama. Konsa, who made his England debut at right-back in 2024 under Gareth Southgate, has become a regular starter under Tuchel.
The injuries have put scrutiny on Tuchel’s squad selection. Newcastle’s Tino Livramento withdrew before the tournament with a calf issue, and Tuchel called up Trevoh Chalobah as a central defensive option. Real Madrid’s Trent Alexander-Arnold, who played only once for Tuchel, was overlooked.
Goodwin, a Stoke City fan, remains bullish. ‘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. But with his house deposit on the line and England’s defence stretched, the dream hangs on Tuchel’s makeshift backline.