England superfan spends £6,000 on World Cup trip but misses Mexico thriller

An England superfan who spent almost £6,700 following the Three Lions across the United States has told of her heartbreak at missing the dramatic 3-2 win over Mexico in the World Cup last 16.

Sammie Bell, 30, from Stevenage in Hertfordshire, spent 25 days travelling through six American states to watch England during the group stages, but had to fly home before the knockout rounds began.

That meant she was forced to watch England’s thrilling victory over Mexico from her local pub rather than in the stands, more than 5,000 miles from the action.

‘Doesn’t hit the same’

England overcame a red card for Jarell Quansah to beat Mexico 3-2, with Jude Bellingham scoring twice and Harry Kane also on the scoresheet in a match that kicked off at 2am UK time. The result sent Thomas Tuchel’s side through to the quarter-finals, where they will face Norway on Saturday.

It was the first England match Sammie had missed in six years. Speaking after the game, she said: “Not going to lie, watching England from the pub just doesn’t hit the same… First England game I have missed in years. Still hoping I can somehow make it back out.”

Read more: Henderson’s Bellingham prediction proved spot on after Mexico brace

Six states, ten cities, five fixtures

Sammie’s trip took in two friendlies in Florida and all of England’s group stage fixtures, alongside sightseeing stops including the NASA space centre and Busch Gardens. She estimates the whole adventure cost £6,689, funded by two years of saving and working multiple jobs.

She used Amex points to secure cheap flights across the Atlantic and paid just £272 for internal flights around the US, while staying mostly in Airbnbs to keep costs down. Beer prices, however, ranged from £3.75 to as much as £16.50 a pint.

“Every penny of this trip came from saving and working between two and three jobs over the last couple of years,” Sammie said. “Following England at a World Cup had always been a dream of mine and it was worth every penny.”

She added: “The only thing I regret is not booking the category three knockout tickets back in February. At the time, committing to every possible game just wasn’t realistic with the overall cost of the trip.”

Eyeing a return for Norway clash

Despite the eye-watering outlay, Sammie is now weighing up whether to fly back to the States for England’s quarter-final against Norway, who will be led by Manchester City forward Erling Haaland.

She returned home with just £4.50 left from the £1,800 in cash she had withdrawn during her stay. “I’ve seen people spend more than this on World Cup tickets alone, so when you include flights, accommodation, transport, food, sightseeing and everything else, I don’t think it’s as bad as people might expect – although I’ve still never spent this much on a trip before,” she said.