Malcolm ‘Smudger’ Smith has won a giant England flag so big it is as long as three-and-a-half Peter Crouches lying down – and he is draping it across the front of his entire house. The 24ft wide and 12ft high St George’s Cross, described as a “monster”, was won on June 8 in a giveaway by Newton Newton Flags LTD in Burgh le Marsh, Skegness. With the Three Lions’ first match fast approaching, the nation is decking out homes, pubs and cars with the iconic flag.
A spokesperson for Newton Newton Flags said: “The team has been picked… and once again, the hope of a nation rests on those famous Three Lions shirts. For a few unforgettable weeks, the country will come together like nothing else matters.” They added: “1966 gave us history. Now, 60 years later… let 2026 become the new 1966. The anthem of the summer will once again be ‘It’s Coming Home’.”
“A Brit has won a 24ft-wide England flag as pubs build grandstands and fans prepare for the tournament.”
While Malcolm’s house will be hard to miss, another World Cup fanatic has built a giant grandstand at The Railway Tavern in Dereham, Norfolk. Paul Sandford spent over £6,000 on the structure, which holds around 400 people, with room for others to gather, allowing over 700 to watch in authentic stadium style. A firm of scaffolders spent more than a week building the feature, which includes a VIP area with table service and an American theme. “I’ve had interest from all over the country,” said Sandford. “Loads of people want to come and watch the games here. We’re already fully booked up. It’s really exciting. This is going to be the ultimate place to watch…”
Even those downsizing are getting into the spirit. One fan, writing in the New Statesman, has moved his bedroom and office downstairs for the first time in 64 years, and now watches ITV on his computer after realising Sky and TNT are not showing any games. He has stocked up on bottles of Marlborough New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, cracking open the first for England’s warm-up against New Zealand, the World Cup’s lowest-ranked team. “I dread hearing the words ‘and now for an England friendly’,” he wrote.
But there is hope for a surprise. The writer is cheering for Curaçao, the tiny island of 155,000 people, rated 82nd in the world, which made the finals. “Gawd, I hope they do well against Germany on 14 June,” he said. “I’ll be cheering them on.”