With accommodation options scarce in some cities and a high price of transit, a late trip to the World Cup looks to beyond most supporters
The 2026 World Cup has been a story of high ticket prices, expensive accommodation and train fares way above normal rates.
It has been clear for a while that, on cost alone, this tournament is set to be like no other.
What if you decided, today, that you fancied a trip over to the United States to watch England or Scotland?
BBC Sport has plotted a route through the group stage and found that England supporters would need about £6,500 each or £13,000 for two.
The cost for a single person would be higher as accommodation prices are for twin or double rooms.
But for a family of four with two pre-teen children (though you would have to take them out of school), the cost sky-rockets to more than £22,000.
England fans get a good deal in Dallas but Scotland have eight nights in Boston – one of the most expensive cities.
Two Scots would face spending about £7,500 each, while a family would have to find more than £25,000.
BBC Sport picked the best value hotel within four miles of the city centre – though if you were prepared to be based farther out, use Air BnB or go truly budget it could potentially be done for less.
The cheapest available tickets on Fifa's official resale site have been selected too.
* Prices correct at the time of writing but subject to change.
One of the most difficult expenses to predict is the cost of simply living your life in the United States for 14-15 days.
Primarily we are talking meals, drinks, snacks and local transport.
And on the days when there is no game, people are going to need to find something to do.
Everyone is different, as is every city. Some would be happy with low-cost options, others might look to make the most of the trip.
Then there are those who would be content to spend all their days around the bars – and that would require a bigger budget.
Also, in the US everything comes at an additional cost because of the tipping culture.
For two people working to a low-to-mid-range budget, we have made an estimate of £3,000.
That works out on average as a conservative £107 per person per day for England fans.
Some days are largely taken up by travelling, which would free up budget for other days.
A family would need to spend more, of course, and with excursions to keep the children busy, it has been set at £4,500.
As Scotland have an extra day, these costs are adjusted to £3,214 and £4,820.
Return train tickets to the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey from Manhattan are priced at $150 (£114) each
Our two England fans fly out of Heathrow on Monday, 15 June with return flights to JFK in New York costing just over £500 each – which is good value.
With the Three Lions' final group game taking place in New Jersey, it is the most cost-effective way to travel to the US and back, with the first stop being Dallas.
After landing in the States, they pick up a flight to Dallas the same night – this costs £283 per person.
Four nights at the Hampton Inn & Suites Dallas Market Center cost £624 (£156 a night) for a twin.
Double rooms, which are more available in all cities, come in cheaper at the Hilton Dallas Medical District at £560 (£140 a night).
Both properties have breakfast included, meaning Dallas – which also has free shuttle buses from stations to the stadium in Arlington – is an affordable start to the trip.
The England supporters fly to Boston on Friday, 19 June with the fare £378 each.
Boston is at the other end of the scale as one of the more expensive host cities for accommodation.
Our couple stay at the Hampton Inn & Suites Boston Crosstown Center, costing £1,650 (£330 a night), including breakfast, for five nights.
The cheapest twin-bed option in the city itself is £2,041 (£408 a night) without breakfast at the Courtyard Boston Downtown/North Station.
It is possible to book a hotel near the airport £500 cheaper but with five days in the city, it may not be worth the saving.
With England's third game being in New Jersey, there is no need to take a flight. The supporters can hop on the Amtrak train to New York on Wednesday, 24 June with tickets £42 each.
Unlike in Boston, there are still lots of hotel options in New York with a five-night stay before the flight home on 29 June.
A double at the Truss Hotel Times Square costs £1,184 (£237 a night) while a twin at the AMTD Idea Tribeca Hotel is £1,275 (£255 a night).
This time, however, you will need to head out for breakfast.
But the last two games come with a sting – train tickets to the stadiums cost £59 per person from Boston and £114 from New York.
Just to get to the States and travel around, the estimated costs for two friends are £6,273 and for a couple £5,855.
And what of the family? It is going to cost £9,008 to get to the States, get around and put your heads down.
Costs are helped by some hotels offering free stays for children.
In Dallas, the Comfort Inn Dallas Medical-Market Center costs £627 (£156 a night).
The same Hampton Inn is used in Boston with a higher cost of £1,763 (£353 a night).
Over in New York, the Holiday Inn in Times Square costs £1,589 (£318 a night).
While Fifa has been drip-feeding some additional match tickets at face value, the chances of snagging any to England's games appear slim.
This means turning to Fifa's official resale site, which sees ever-more expensive tickets – plus you will need to pay Fifa a 15% transaction fee on top.
For each game, upper-tier category-two tickets were the cheapest available.
For the opener against Croatia, the two tickets cost £1,406 – the face value being £517.
Then it was £1,222 to get two tickets for the Ghana match, from a face value of £745.
The last match against Panama was available for £1,396, original price £494.
Total cost for two people to go to the games including fees? £4,370 (£2,185 per person), which is two and a half times the face of £1,756.
It is more expensive for a family because there is less availability for a group of four tickets together, and there is no concession pricing.
The face of the 12 tickets comes in at £4,132 but with the resale price and the Fifa fees, the final total is more than double that at £8,720.
You've budgeted for the time in the United States.
You've sorted out transport to the matches and the expensive resale tickets.
How much would you be looking at spending for 14 nights?
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Scotland will play two of their World Cup fixtures in Foxborough, which is 29 miles away from Boston and only reachable by train, car or bus
Unfortunately for Scotland fans, they have got a bad deal when it comes to the hotels.
Scotland play their first two matches in Boston, one of the most expensive host cities.
On top of that, it costs £59 per person for a return train ticket to the stadium in Foxborough for the two fixtures.
The plan requires a 15-night stay too rather than the 14 nights for the England supporters.
There is just one direct flight per day from Glasgow to New York and with so few seats left, the cost is more than double travelling via a layover in Amsterdam.
It's £1,887 for two tickets or £3,390 for the family, heading out on 11 June – nearly twice what England fans would pay to fly to New York.
It is more cost-effective to spend the first night in New York rather than get to Boston very late and pay a higher hotel cost.
One night at the Truss Hotel Times Square is £191 for a couple. A twin at the Courtyard New York Manhattan/Midtown East is £240.
On 12 June, the evening train to Boston costs £122 for two tickets.
Then it is the extended, eight-night stay.
The enVision Hotel costs £2,290 – or £286 a night. There is no breakfast but it is by far the best value on offer.
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