English Fan Spends House Deposit to Watch World Cup

Jack Goodwin, a football fan from Chichester, England, chose to use his savings of £40,000 (approximately 1.8 million baht) that he had set aside for a house deposit to take his father to support the England national team at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States instead, as it is a unique opportunity in his lifetime.

The 34-year-old Jack and his father have booked hotels, flights, and 2026 World Cup tickets extending through to the final match in New Jersey on July 19, using money originally earmarked for a house deposit.

"We've already been to New York, we've seen the World Cup trophy, and we're going to watch our team bring the trophy home. It's a simple equation," Jack revealed. "My father and I have been to Dallas, Boston, New York, and now we're in Atlanta... and we're going to make it to the final to see our team win the World Cup."

England will face the Democratic Republic of Congo tonight, and Jack is confident that the Three Lions will advance easily. "We'll thrash them 4-0 and then we'll face Mexico at the Azteca Stadium this Sunday, which will be the most amazing match of all. It's the ultimate top-tier match."

"We've now booked everything in advance all the way to the final—hotels, tickets, everything is sorted," he said. "We got all our tickets through FIFA's random allocation. If we don't top the group, all the tickets we have become void immediately."

"Tickets are extremely expensive. I've been saving money to buy a house, but I'm willing to spend my entire house deposit to take myself and my father on this trip. It's roughly £40,000. We got everything at face value, but that doesn't mean it's cheap—it's still enormously expensive. But I don't have kids or a wife, so why not do it? This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."