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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Sport
Ed Aarons in Dallas

‘I paid $800 for my ticket but it was worth it’: England fans enjoying early World Cup vibe

England fans in the stadium for the Croatia game
England fans get in the mood – Stetson and all – for the first group game against Croatia in Texas. Photograph: Marc Atkins/Getty Images

They came, they saw and they went to the rodeo. For those England fans who made it to Dallas, watching Thomas Tuchel’s side see off Croatia in their opening match of the 2026 World Cup was the experience of a lifetime.

“I’ve never been to a World Cup game before so I thought it was something I couldn’t miss out on,” says Oli Lee, a music producer from Kent who now lives in Los Angeles and is otherwise known as one half of the Snakehips duo who had a UK top-five hit in 2015. “I paid $800 (£604) for my ticket but it was all worth it. We had a bit of a session in Dallas – I ended up jumping in a pool with my phone in my pocket but it’s still working somehow!”

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