Andy Milne, a 62-year-old retired teacher and England superfan, is selling his second home in Northwich, Cheshire, for £350,000 to fund a seven-week trip to the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. He has become a cult figure among England fans, often seen holding a replica World Cup trophy, after a photo of him at the 2022 Qatar World Cup went viral. This will be his 10th World Cup following England, including eight men's World Cups and the 2023 Women's World Cup in Australia.
Milne will be in Dallas for England's first game against Croatia on June 17, 2026, and has tickets for every England group game and potentially all the way to the final. He plans to travel to the US on June 3, 2026, for seven weeks, visiting places like Graceland in Memphis, Niagara Falls, and the Rocky Mountains. Milne lives in Thailand and has been renting out his second home in England for 27 years.
His memoir, 'That World Cup Guy', covering over 40 years of football fandom, is due out on May 25 and available for pre-order on Amazon. Broader fan concerns about high costs for the 2026 World Cup have emerged, with several England fans opting not to travel due to high costs and low ticket allocations. FIFA's ticket pricing for the 2026 World Cup ranges from $140 for the cheapest group games to $8,680 for the final.
Football Supporters Europe (FSE) and Euroconsumers filed a formal complaint with the European Commission against FIFA over ticket prices, alleging abuse of monopoly power and excessive pricing. Additional cost concerns include increased transport prices compared to previous tournaments. At previous World Cups in Qatar, Russia, and Brazil, transport to and from games and fanzones was free for ticket holders, but at the 2026 US World Cup, transport prices have reportedly quadrupled.