More than 15,000 England supporters are expected to have travelled to New Jersey for Saturday evening's match against Panama, with many having booked non-refundable onward travel assuming the Three Lions would top their World Cup group. Fans expressed confidence but acknowledged potential “panic stations” if the team fails to win.
Fans Booked Onward Travel Based on Group Win
Supporters said they had already booked non-refundable flights to Atlanta, Georgia, for Wednesday's last-32 tie, expecting England to beat Panama and finish first in Group L. Panama is ranked 42nd in the FIFA standings. England will top the group if they match Ghana's result against Croatia, also on Saturday, likely facing Senegal or DR Congo. Finishing second would mean a match against the second-placed team in Group K, currently Portugal, in Toronto, Canada, on Friday. A loss to Panama and third place would pit England against the winners of Group K, currently Colombia, next Saturday in Kansas City.
Optimism Despite Heavy Rain
The heavy rain in New Jersey did not dampen spirits. Cambridge United fan Sam Gisby, 28, said: “I think we’ll do the business. I'm going to go for a 3-0 win.” Liverpool fan Rob Hindhauth, 26, predicted 4-0, adding: “It obviously wasn’t great last time out but I don’t think they’re a great side.” Both friends, now living in London, called the 0-0 draw against Ghana a “reality check.” Hindhauth said: “We’re actually going on, so it’s pretty stressful because we’ve booked the next two weeks on the assumption that England win the group. If we did come second, it would be panic stations.” Gisby added: “We’ve got a lot tied up in England winning today, so that is quite stressful.” Their trip so far cost £3,000, with non-refundable flights booked six months ago.
Fan Reactions and Costs
Preston supporters Ryan Kennedy and Joe English, both 29, arrived hours before kick-off in ponchos and Statue of Liberty hats bought for three dollars from Times Square. Kennedy said: “I think we should win comfortably – a bit of a hiccup in the second game, but that happens – it’s England.” English added: “A comfortable win – three or four-nil, I reckon.” Kennedy said he would check the Ghana-Croatia result: “I’ll be on the phone checking notifications.” Peter Harding, 74, from Whitley Bay, joked: “You could get a team from Brooklyn that would beat Panama. A team from Whitley Bay would give Panama a good game.” Richie Slaughter, 35, from Hexham, said: “Hopefully we beat them anyway – we’ve already booked the flights to Atlanta and a non-refundable one, so praying they’ll get the win tomorrow. I don’t know why, but we booked them the morning of the Ghana game.”
Planning for Knockout Stages
Bradley Littlechild, 30, from Edinburgh, said: “We’ve booked hotels where you can cancel for Toronto and Atlanta. We haven’t booked our flights yet, so as soon as the game finishes, we need to book flights or a bus. It’s something like $350, so it’s just going to sting us. We’re here because we follow England home and away. It’s just money at the end of the day – I don’t think you can put a price on watching England at the World Cup.” He added: “Arrogantly, we should beat them – but someone asked what was my prediction for the Ghana game and I said 4-0. But I think tomorrow we should beat them, I’d like to say two to 3-0.” Transport from New York to New Jersey has also been expensive. Slaughter said: “We’re on the train to the ground tomorrow, so I think that was about $90 or something like that.” Tom Wilson, 32, from Blackpool, said: “Whilst I think it’s very expensive, it looks like the best option given some of the videos I’ve seen of traffic.”
