Britons have secured more travel authorisations for the United States than any other nationality in the run-up to next month’s World Cup, despite ongoing concerns regarding the cost of attending the tournament.
US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) revealed that the UK accounted for over 1.2 million Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (Esta) approvals between October last year and April.
This figure significantly outstrips those from France, Germany, and Japan.
However, it remains uncertain whether this high number of approvals will translate into strong support for England and Scotland at the World Cup, as many matches are yet to sell out following fan backlash over ticket prices.
Overall, CBP processed more than 5.9 million Esta applications from eligible nations during the seven-month period, granting approval to over five million of them.
The United States is set to host 78 matches throughout the tournament and anticipates welcoming more than five million visitors.
Fifa has adopted a dynamic pricing strategy for ticket sales, with prices fluctuating according to demand.
US President Donald Trump was previously asked about tickets for the first game being in four figures by the New York Post and said: “I wouldn’t pay that either.”
Lifelong England fan Gary Scammell said the scale and expense of the tournament had forced supporters to rethink their plans.
He told the Press Association: “Never in my wildest dreams would we have gone down the same route had we have known the ticket prices were going to be that.
“Then obviously the vast size of America, Mexico and Canada – you obviously have to have a different approach to, say, what we did in Germany, where we were doing day trips, overnighters and coming home the following morning.
“It’s obviously a hell of a lot more money than it would normally be and normally we wouldn’t justify it – but because my dad’s 80 and because this will probably be his last World Cup, we thought ‘we’ll sell a leg each’.”
Another England supporter, Billy Grant, said the financial burden appeared to be affecting demand among travelling fans.
“I think we’re undersubscribed in areas, which is such a shame,” he said.
“With England following anywhere normally, you could have hundreds of thousands of England fans all across the country having the most wonderful festive time.”
CBP executive director Matthew Davies said officials were “proactively preparing” for the competition to ensure “a safe and efficient welcome for all visitors”.
He added: “When travellers plan ahead and use tools like our trusted traveller programmes and mobile passport control, it helps us uphold border security, protect US agriculture and ensure a seamless and efficient traveller experience.”
