‘What’s the point of working if you can’t do things like this?’ England fans descend on Miami | 2026 World Cup

Iit’s just another morning on Ocean Drive, where sweat meets glitter and beauty sits unashamedly alongside happiness. The Huddersfield Town flag hangs from one of the art deco hotels that make this Miami Beach neighborhood a living, decaying museum. Two Norwegians in national team shirts pass by, the woman adjusting a viking hat before climbing in to catch up. For the locals who play volleyball under the sand dunes as usual, the sideshow is inescapable at once and far away.

Not even Miami will see a party like this. About 30,000 England fans must gather here on Saturday but they will be chased by those who play for Norway, who have provided some of the World Cup games. The quarter-final rewards those who have been on the road for a whole month and are unstoppable and do-it-yourselfers.

“After the Mexico game I thought: ‘Do you know what it would be like to go out and do it,'” said James Shipperley, from Uxbridge in west London. He and his 15-year-old son, Freddie, stopped to check out the “muscle beach” at the outdoor gym. Their tickets cost £1,500 each; last-minute travel requires time off from school and, for James, from running a bar. “You have to break the bank but it’s a lifetime memory, right?” he adds. “It’s special to bring him here. What’s the point of working if you can’t do things like this?”

There will be plenty to worry about before game day. The pool party in Cleveland was expected to attract 600 England fans on Friday afternoon, with a scheduled finish time of 4am. “It’s going to be a tough night,” said Bristol Rovers supporter John Gallivan. He has been on the move since June 3, following Thomas Tuchel’s side through ups, downs and plateaus. “Mexico City was a bucket list item, it’s just a no-brainer to be honest with you. I don’t think I’ll ever go through that again. But we took it easy.”

Gallivan allows himself to dream of a trip to New York next weekend. “I think we can go all the way,” he said. “I’m not going to lie, I’m worried about France because they’re busy. But if we play with them, I’ll be happy about that.” Will Erling Haaland not prove an insurmountable obstacle? “I’m not worried. He’s one player, we have 26 good players. As long as they play, we’ll be fine.”

Others are hoping to stop Haaland, who will be hoping to add to his seven goals in four games. “That’s a big question isn’t it?” said Neil Barker, a Leeds fan who has lived in Denver for 20 years. “But he has been suspended from the Premier League before and the players know him. Everything is ready.”

For Barker, who was a FIFA volunteer in Philadelphia at the start of the tournament, the feeling is far from that of Colorado. “You wouldn’t even know what was going on there,” he says. “We used to get together in British and Irish pubs to watch the games. I really wanted to go down and see if England got over the line.” He will be at the game with his English-born Brazilian friends, who are firmly committed to the Three Lions this weekend.

Further evidence of the unifying quality of the World Cup comes from the likes of Sean and Katie, who walk hand-in-hand past cafe tables laden with breakfast and booze. In the unusual good results that came from England’s draw with Ghana, they met in Boston last month and the intense love of the summer made them meet in Miami.

“The celebrations, the fun and the banter, everything was going well,” said Sean, who is originally from Derby. “I’ve been optimistic about England all these years. Without any worries, because they always get you through it. I think they will go up and Haaland will be in Dan Burn’s pocket.”

Help Katie, an American, immerse herself in the chaos and beauty of England’s traveling circus. He says: “They accept me and include me in everything they experience. “I love living through their eyes, seeing and enjoying everything.”

The Norwegian team will not be silent. Hundreds are preparing to demonstrate the now-famous “Viking line” in two separate sessions on South Beach this afternoon. It’s been hard to turn a corner these days without seeing the flowing white locks of Ole Frøystad, aka “Mr Row Row”, who created the viral sensation.

Do his countrymen stink at their Brazilian breakout? “In my heart I will say we won 2-1,” said Haakon, who traveled from Stavanger with his teammate Stella after Norway beat Côte d’Ivoire in the round of 32. “England is the best person for us but we have the spirit of being a team.

As lunch time approaches, a group of Norwegian fans ride along the path to five people following their rivals while chanting “England go home”. No one attending this weird, wonderful World Cup fiesta in southeast Florida wants the game to stop here.