Hundreds of England fans crammed into the Londoner pub in Dallas on the eve of the World Cup opener, defying distances and soaring costs — but not all of them have a ticket.
One supporter told the BBC he and his friends paid “about £850 for a ticket” to watch England face Croatia on Wednesday at the 80,000-seat AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Another fan, standing outside the pub, said: “It’s a bit of a shame, really, we’ve been priced out of this one.”
“England fans spend up to £850 on tickets and thousands on travel as 10,000 descend on Dallas for World Cup opener against Croatia.”
The financial burden has not deterred thousands. Around 10,000 England fans have flooded into the Texas city, according to estimates, and UK pubs have reported a surge in bookings for the match. Among the travelling support is Joe Tolley, 26, a Leeds fan who spent £7,000 on the trip — including £3,000 on flights and hotels — plus another £320 on a cowboy Stetson hat. He told The Sun he had saved for years to fund the adventure with friends Jacob Bradbury, 26, and James Roebuck, 25.
England captain Harry Kane has urged his teammates to embrace the moment. “No regrets,” Kane said, calling on Thomas Tuchel’s side to attack the tournament with freedom.
Tuchel, the German coach who flew to Dallas with his 26-man squad last night, has made a pledge of his own: he will sing the national anthem if England reach the final. Asked whether he would join in before the Croatia game, the Bavarian-born former Chelsea manager smiled and said: “Not yet. I think we are not there yet. At the very end maybe. I am still a bit shy. I don’t want to offend people and don’t want to have the focus on that now.” When pressed on whether he knew the words, he laughed: “It’s not so difficult.”
The squad arrived at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport before heading to The Adolphus hotel, their £420-a-night downtown base. But the build-up has been far from smooth. Newcastle full-back Tino Livramento suffered a tournament-ending calf injury just before the flight, forcing Chelsea’s Trevoh Chalobah, 26, to fly out as a replacement. The team had already endured a theft of their gear and tornado alerts during their stay in Kansas City.
As kick-off approaches, England fans — some with tickets, many without — are gathering in their thousands, hoping the team can turn a chaotic build-up into a memorable start.