The British are here: England fans in Atlanta say they’re ready for ‘raucous’ World Cup showdown

The 22-year-old native of Kent, England, is in town to watch his home country take on Congo at Atlanta Stadium on Wednesday. Musk is confident in the Three Lions defeating Les Léopards, but has a blunt assessment of their chances thereafter.

“I don’t think we’ll win the whole thing,” said Musk, who traveled to Atlanta with his father, Matthew.

The pair were on hand at New York New Jersey Stadium for England’s group-stage finale win against Panama. His father was in Arlington, Texas, for England’s 4-2 thriller against Croatia.

Neither has seen England — the country that invented football — reach a World Cup final. “We haven’t done it in 60 years now, so hopefully the time’s coming,” he said.

Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC

Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC

After decades of disappointment, England supporters in metro Atlanta and those in town for the city’s first knockout stage match hope time is on their side.

Oh, and better luck.

Musk and his father had just arrived in Atlanta and have plans to attend Wednesday’s match. They had been planning this trip for two years. They hopped on MARTA and went straight for Broad Street in south downtown. They’ll head home immediately after the game.

And their plans after that? “We’ll see if we play after that,” Musk said.

‘Raucous’ England fans

Half a mile up the street at Centennial Yards, spirits were a bit higher for Lee Hughes. The 46-year-old from Coventry, England, was joined by his wife, Clare Hughes, and their friends, Lee and Nicola Fitzgerald, from Middlesbrough.

The foursome have been in Atlanta since Thursday. Sadly, the ticket prices were too high to secure seats. So, the crew is simply here for vibes.

Hughes and Co. have been living it up since touching down here. They screamed at FIFA Fan Fest and have no problem spending money they saved by not buying game tickets on pints at the Irish Exit Atlanta.

They have two expectations going into England’s Round of 32 matchup: Supporters in and outside Atlanta Stadium will be “raucous,” and the Three Lions will win.

How do they define raucous?

Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC

Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC

“Probably a lot of chants about our current prime minister and anti-prime minister chants and anti-Scotland chants,” Hughes, 46, joked. “Other than that, it’ll be a good atmosphere.”

England’s World Cup ceiling, he said: “Quarterfinals — tops.”

If it feels like supporters of the Three Lions are hard on their boys, it’s because, similar to Atlanta sports fans, they know heartbreak, disappointment and a lack of hardware all too well.

England last won a World Cup in 1966 when they beat West Germany 4-2 on home soil. Since then, the Three Lions’ best finishes were semifinal appearances in 1990 and 2018. They’ve also made five quarterfinal appearances.

Over the course of that time, England has remained a team with an incredibly passionate fan base that has endured confounding losses.

For their sake, we won’t harp on all of them.

There was David Beckham’s infamous red card in the loss to Argentina in the Round of 16 at the 1998 World Cup. More recently, there were the back-to-back final defeats (2020 and ’24) at the UEFA European Championship.

It’s moments like these that lead to the Three Lions getting labeled as world football’s version of the Dallas Cowboys: rabid supporters, sky-high expectations, intense media criticism, typically boasting a roster full of stars.

Credit: AP Photo/Steve Luciano

Credit: AP Photo/Steve Luciano

Their most recent World Cup trip ended in pain at the hands of 2022 runners-up France. In a quarterfinal meeting of football powers, Les Bleus struck first with a goal from Aurélien Tchouaméni before halftime.

After England captain and super striker Harry Kane tied it with a penalty, a goal from Olivier Giroud put France back up 2-1. With five minutes left in the match, Kane had another penalty opportunity to even the score. Instead, his shot sailed high above the crossbar.

Game over.

‘Absolutely sport-mad’

This time around, England won Group L ahead of Croatia, Ghana and Panama. Next up, a first-time matchup with Group K’s third-place team.

If England can get past Congo, the road only gets bumpier, with possible matchups against Mexico in Mexico City, Brazil in Miami and Argentina in Atlanta.

Rachel Galloway is well aware of all the hypothetical dates and matchups. The Manchester, England, native started as the British Consul General in Atlanta four years ago. The Manchester City supporter has been tracking soccer’s growth here ahead of the World Cup.

Galloway was involved in Atlanta’s partnership for the Premier League Summer Series. The preseason tournament brought teams from the world’s most competitive professional soccer league to Mercedes-Benz Stadium in 2023 and ’25.

Before the World Cup showed up, Galloway’s countrymen were already impressed with Atlanta as a genuine football city.

“The English Football Association are absolutely astonished by what’s going on here: the combination of a fantastic stadium, but a population that’s absolutely sport-mad,” said Galloway, who boasts that she’s now the proud owner of a Waffle House soccer jersey.

Part of that community is a growing mix of foreign transplants who never went back, homegrown folks with ties to England, Scotland and Ireland.

There have also been folks moving for work opportunities in business and education over the past 20 years.

She was initially skeptical of an expanded tournament going from 32 to 48 teams, but after hearing her husband’s and son’s reactions to witnessing Cape Verde and Spain’s thrilling 0-0 draw, she’s a believer.

Feedback to the British Consulate has been that Atlanta has done a good job hosting so far. As for that aforementioned fan-tensity English supporters are known for, Galloway adds context.

“They sing songs about everything — songs about the match they’re watching, old songs, political songs — and they normally are funny. The idea is it’s humor to it,” she said.

Kristi Warren Evans is also in on the joke.

For the past six years, she and her husband, Will Evans, have owned and operated the Manchester Arms pub in College Park. The couple’s ancestry has roots in England and Scotland.

Menu standouts include British staples such as fish and chips, shepherd’s pie and bangers and mash. The business has been a favorite of local Brits since its inception.

When news of the World Cup coming to Atlanta broke, the Evans family knew they’d have to adjust their business model. They’ve seen a boom in business. Not bad for a place with just a handful of TVs.

“We’ve gotten a ton of British folks coming in to watch the matches and we’re not a sports bar,” Evans said.

Evans expects even more folks to show up in the coming days. She stresses that Manchester Arms opens its doors to Congo fans as well, though the crowd will lean heavily in England’s favor.

The Morningside resident doesn’t flinch when asked about England’s World Cup odds. “We are definitely going to win, no questions asked,” she said.

Speaking of England’s Round of 32 opponent, not everyone in town is looking past Congo.

South London, England, native Ian Kerr was taking in the end of Brazil and Japan’s match (a 2-1 victory for the Seleção) at O’Sullivan’s Irish Pub in downtown Decatur.

Kerr, 42, works for the British Embassy and is in Atlanta with his son, Sonny, to see England live. It’s their first trip to the States.

Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC

Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC

“I think Atlanta is a great city to host a World Cup,” he said. “My only complaint would be the ticket prices, but I would blame that on FIFA, not the U.S.”

Congo proved it is more than capable of competing at football’s highest level, but Kerr sees his Three Lions prevailing in a tight one. From there, making the quarterfinals is the minimum expectation.

The Kerrs arrived Sunday. They hiked Stone Mountain. Tuesday, they said they would be looking for a pitch to play on. Neither seems fazed by reports of Southern heat that was supposed to scorch visitors from across the pond.

The U.K., too, is in the middle of a heat wave. “I know this should be ridiculous for us and it normally is, but it’s actually just a continuation of what we were having,” he said.

Win or lose, ultimately the outcomes supporters want are left to the whims of the sports gods. Stars Kane and Jude Bellingham look strong, but supporters like Kerr want to see more goals.

Others like Galloway see promise.

“There’s loads of opportunity, so that’s what we do as sports fans,” she said.

“We hope.”