Miami is preparing for a major football takeover, with around 30,000 England fans due to converge on the city by Saturday ahead of the World Cup quarter-final. England and Norway supporters have already filled Miami Beach and Ocean Drive, turning the area into a clear extension of the tournament atmosphere.
For Norway, Kristoffer Ajer is part of the build-up around a team facing one of the biggest names in the competition, Erling Haaland. But in the hours before the quarter-final, the story around the city is just as much about the travelling support as it is about the football itself.
Fans turn Miami into a tournament base
The scale of the England support has been striking. A Friday afternoon pool party at the Clevelander was expected to draw 600 England fans, while the wider estimate points to tens of thousands arriving in Miami for the match.
That crowd has helped reshape the feel of the city. The tourist energy is obvious on Miami Beach and Ocean Drive, where visiting supporters are mixing with the usual beachgoers. Locals are still going about normal life, but the quarter-final has clearly changed the mood around the waterfront.
A costly trip, but a memorable one
For some supporters, the journey has been expensive but worth it. James Shipperley, an England fan from Uxbridge in west London, said the trip became an easy decision after the Mexico game.
“After the Mexico game I thought: ‘Do you know what? What an experience it would be to come out and do it,’” he said. Shipperley added that the cost can be hard to justify, but not when it creates a lasting memory. “You have to break the bank but it’s a life memory, isn’t it?”
He also said travelling with his 15-year-old son made the experience especially meaningful: “It’s something special to come here with him. What’s the point of working if you can’t do stuff like this?”
England belief, Norway concern
John Gallivan has been following Thomas Tuchel’s side since 3 June, and he is confident England can keep going. He said Mexico City was “bucket list stuff” and described the atmosphere there as unreal, while adding that England managed to quieten the crowd down.
His belief in the tournament run remains strong. “I think we can go all the way,” he said. But he was also careful not to dismiss the challenge ahead, saying he is “a little bit worried about France” because they are “absolutely cruising.”
On Haaland, though, Gallivan was more relaxed: “Not worried. He’s one player, we’ve 26 good players. As long as they perform, we’ll be OK.”
Neil Barker, who earlier in the tournament worked as a Fifa volunteer in Philadelphia, framed the issue in a more direct way. Asked about Haaland, he said, “That’s the big question isn’t it?” He also noted that the Norway striker has been stopped in the Premier League before, adding that the players know him and “it’s all up for grabs.”
Barker said the tournament environment in the city can be deceptive from a distance. “You wouldn’t even know it was happening there,” he said of the wider atmosphere, before explaining that fans have been gathering in British and Irish pubs to watch the games. “I really wanted to come down and see if England get over the line,” he said.
With the quarter-final approaching, Miami is set for one of its busiest football nights of the tournament. The crowd has arrived, the party is building and the match now carries the weight of a city-sized travelling support behind it.
