An England superfan has been left gutted after flying home before the knockout game after spending £6,000 on the dream trip.
Sammie Bell spent 25 magical days across the pond cheering on the Three Lions as they progressed through the World Cup.
But the 30-year-old’s trip came to an end before yesterday’s iconic event.
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The superfan headed down to her local pub at 9pm yesterday (Sunday, 5 Jul) to cheer on the Three Lions this morning.
“Not going to lie, watching England from the pub just doesn’t hit the same,” Sammie, from Stevenage, Hertfordshire, told Whats The Jam.
“First England game I have missed in years.
“Still hoping I can somehow make it back out.”
The knockout matches against DR Congo and Mexico are the first matches Sammie has missed in the last six years.
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The game which eventually kicked off at 2am saw England win 3-2 at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City.
Sammie is now looking at the possibility of heading out to the states for the quarter final showdown against Norway on 11 Jul.
For many fans, heading out to the World Cup was a pipe dream with the high costs turning many Brits away.
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Even with Sammie being a savvy traveller who was able to book her flights to the States for just £100, she still went over budget.
The superfan had planned for the total cost of trip to sit around £3,300 when in reality it doubled to a jaw-dropping £6,689.
Sammie said: “Every penny of this trip came from saving and working between two and three jobs over the last couple of years.
“Following England at a World Cup had always been a dream of mine and it was worth every penny.
“I tracked everything through Revolut and stayed in Air BnB’s for most of the trip which helped keep costs down.
“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.”
Sammie’s trip saw her travel across six states, 10 cities and five England games, two friendlies in Florida and all of the group matches.
She got her cheap flights to the US thanks to her Amex points and her internal flights cost just £272.
Not only did the superfan cheer on the boys at the tournament, she also managed to take in the local sights.
In the 25 days she was across the pond, Sammie visited the NASA space centre, Bush Gardens and the darts.
However, the price of beer did burn a hole in her pocket with drinks ranging from £3.75 ($5) up to £16.50 ($22).
Out of the £1,800 in cash she took out there, Sammie returned home with just £4.50.
She added: “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.”
