Thousands of England supporters are embarking on a gruelling 900-mile road trip from New Jersey to Atlanta, Georgia, ahead of the World Cup match against DR Congo. The journey, which takes approximately 15 hours by car, follows England's 2-0 victory over Panama. Fans who watched the win in New Jersey now face the long drive, while others scrambled to book flights that immediately trebled in price after the match.
England's Path to Glory
England's potential route in the tournament has become clearer. If they defeat DR Congo, they will travel to Mexico City for a match against the host nation, Mexico, at the iconic Azteca Stadium—where Diego Maradona scored his infamous 'Hand of God' goal in 1986. A victory there could set up a quarter-final clash with Brazil in Miami.
England superfan Neal Weekes, 61, said: "We’re through - that’s all that matters now. Let's hope we’re back in New York to see Harry Kane lift the trophy in three weeks time. It wasn’t a great performance on Saturday but we’re on our way. Atlanta and Congo here we come."
Fans Share Their Experiences
Sunderland fans Mark Chapman and Peter Robinson have been enjoying the World Cup. Peter, 69, a retired British Airways ramp worker and veteran of 11 tournaments, recalled being at the Azteca Stadium when Maradona scored. He said: "I don’t think England can win it but I think we can make the quarter or semi finals. At least there won’t be any Maradona style controversy now with VAR around. We didn’t even know it was handball until we got back to the hotel after the game - we assumed it was a header!"
Mark, 64, a retired financial vice president attending his second tournament, added: "It’s been a brilliant World Cup so far. The stadiums, the fans and the American people have been great."
TV Viewing Figures and King Charles' Message
The Panama match drew a peak of 13.76 million viewers across ITV, STV, ITVX and STV Player, securing an 80% share of TV viewing at its peak. This was a drop of 1.7 million from England's opening match against Croatia, which peaked at 15.4 million, partly due to the later kick-off time of 10pm. The previous match against Ghana, a goalless draw, also peaked at 15.4 million on BBC One and iPlayer.
King Charles offered his "sincere commiserations" to Scotland after their elimination from the World Cup. In a statement, he said: "To the players, outgoing manager and support staff of Scotland’s football team, I would like to offer you my sincere commiserations on exiting the World Cup. While I know what a huge disappointment this will be – just as it is for New Zealand, who didn't make it through this time and have my similar sympathies – I hope you may be able to return home with proud hearts for the joy you have given to so many in having qualified for the first time in over 25 years." He added: "I fear that traditional sporting rivalries mean it may be too much to hope that the devoted tartan army of yours will now cheer with full voice for the three other realms still in contention, but my wife and I nonetheless wish England, Australia and Canada the very best of luck for the battles ahead."
FIFA President's Travel Under Fire
FIFA President Gianni Infantino has faced criticism for flying 31,000 miles between World Cup matches in a fortnight, despite pledging to reduce emissions. He made 27 flights between cities across the US, Mexico and Canada to watch 24 games. BBC investigators tracked a private jet linked to FIFA and Infantino, finding its climate impact over two weeks was equivalent to that of 78 people over a year. Infantino has attended two matches a day on several occasions, often in cities hundreds of miles apart.
