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!”

About 4,000 England supporters bought tickets for the game at the futuristic Arlington Stadium – home of the Dallas Cowboys – but it is estimated that as many as 15,000 were in Texas for the buildup. A video of some launching into a chorus of “Sweet Caroline” during a break at the Fort Worth Rodeo on Tuesday went viral on social media, with many others embracing the cowboy culture by purchasing hats to shield them from the unforgiving Texan sun.

One pub in downtown Dallas, called the Londoner, said they ran out of beer after fans spent almost $30,000 in the space of three hours, with some reports in UK media claiming they ended up being thrown out by police. That version of events was disputed by the police themselves, who told local media that no one was forcibly removed.

There were no major incidents before or after the game either. Fifa has played down reports some ticketless fans were able to sneak past security to gain access to the stadium despite stringent measures in place. Some supporters are thought to have paid in excess of $1,000 for a ticket and a spokesperson for the England fans group Free Lions said that some had come to the United States on the off-chance they could pick up a late deal.

“I think a lot of fans were waiting for prices to come down but they just haven’t,” he said. “There’s still a lot of demand there and I think a few fans have travelled without tickets.”

Lee Williams, from south London, has been planning his trip for months and took in the co-hosts’ opening match in Los Angeles before spending a few days by the beach in Mexico. He arrived in Dallas on Tuesday and is hoping to be back for the semi-finals if England make it that far.

“It’s been absolutely brilliant,” he says. “The cost is astronomical – I’ve been scared to look at my bank balance in the mornings. We bought a round of six beers last night and it cost north of $100. But the vibe has been great and the Americans have really bought into the whole thing. The atmosphere was unbelievable in Los Angeles. I’m going home to work to pay off what I’ve spent out here.”

Williams, who works in finance and also coaches Millwall Lionesses Under-18s, was encouraged by the way Thomas Tuchel’s half-time speech inspired England to seize the initiative after conceding a second equaliser just before half-time against Croatia. “I loved Gareth Southgate but he was slightly more conservative than I thought we should have been given the talent we have at our disposal. I like the way that we really took the game to Croatia in the second half and decided to take risks.”

He would, though, like to see Marc Guéhi brought in to shore up a defence that looked very shaky during the first half. “A new centre-back pairing is going to take a long time to bed in – if you are going to go far in any competition then your goalkeeper and centre-backs have to be stable and settled. Hopefully it clicks,” he adds.

Representatives of England fan groups, including Free Lions, visited all three group stage venues in March to have an idea what to expect. Most have been encouraged to book the train – costing a cool $80 – to get to the next game against Ghana at the Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, 30 miles from downtown Boston. Williams will be watching back home in LA, albeit very nervously.

“It’s so stressful – I never feel comfortable,” he says. “When Harry Kane missed that first penalty I thought it was a terrible omen. But, as the game progressed, we got stronger. Hopefully we can go all the way this time.”