England Fan Quits His Job To Follow The Three Lions At The World Cup: 'It's Got To Be Done'

For many football supporters, following England at a World Cup is a dream. For one fan from Portsmouth, that dream became important enough to walk away from his job. Ben King, 27, has extended his stay in the United States to support the Three Lions, admitting he left his role as a chef so he could remain in Texas longer.

Speaking alongside friends as excitement built ahead of England's campaign, King explained that he had prepared for the move months in advance by securing a new job before travelling. While he was originally due to return home earlier, he chose to stay on until after England's opening match against Croatia. The decision highlights the lengths some supporters are willing to go to in order to follow their national team on football's biggest stage, even when work commitments and travel plans make it difficult.

Fan Makes Major Sacrifice To Extend Stay

King revealed that his plans changed once he arrived in the United States, leading him to remain there longer than originally intended. Although he was meant to fly home the previous day, he had already arranged a new position three months earlier, giving him the freedom to leave his existing job and spend more time supporting England.

Reflecting on the decision, he said: 'I've already left one job to come out here.

'I was meant to fly home yesterday, but I left my job, got a new job three months ago, and now I'm going home after the England game.

'So yeah, I left it and got to stay out a bit longer. It's got to be done.'

Despite making that sacrifice, King admitted there were limits to how long he could remain abroad. Asked whether he would consider returning to the United States should England progress deep into the tournament, he explained that work commitments would ultimately prevent him from extending his stay indefinitely.

He said: 'I've looked at weighing up staying a little bit longer, but I just can't with work, otherwise I would.'

His comments reflected the balancing act many travelling supporters face during major tournaments. While passion for the national team can encourage fans to alter plans and spend additional money, practical considerations such as employment eventually come into play.

King's friend Joe Parrott suggested the attraction of remaining in the United States could become difficult to resist.

'The problem is, we might just not go home,' he joked.

'You could stay here a lifetime.'

Supporters Hit Out At Match Ticket Prices

While the group appeared happy with many aspects of their trip, they expressed frustration over the cost of attending matches during the tournament.

Speaking from Billy Bob's in Dallas-Fort Worth, Joe Parrott described ticket prices as the biggest issue facing travelling supporters. He said the group had decided against attending Argentina's match against Austria at AT&T Stadium because of the expense.

Parrott said: 'Obviously, the tickets to a game are a disgrace, the price you pay for tickets.

'The flights are what they are. I think we paid about £900, which is expensive, but it's not overpriced, but the tickets are outrageous.'

His comments suggested that while international travel carries an expected cost, supporters felt the prices charged for match entry were much harder to justify.

Sam Parrott, Joe's 25-year-old brother, agreed with that assessment. He noted that many of the everyday expenses associated with visiting the United States had been manageable, but match tickets stood out as the major financial obstacle.

He said: 'The actual cost of stuff out here has been all right, it's just the game tickets.'

Joe Parrott went on to predict that England would win the tournament, although he believes ticket pricing remains a challenge for supporters hoping to attend games in person.

'The resale value of tickets doesn't make it easy for anyone to go to games,' he said.