England fans in Dallas disobeyed police orders before the start of the 2026 World Cup

Hundreds of English fans in Dallas disobeyed police orders to leave a pub after consuming more than 5,000 beers ahead of their World Cup opening match against Croatia. Thomas Tuchel's side start their campaign carrying the hopes of a nation. Captain Harry Kane expressed his confidence that this was one of the best opportunities to win a title in a major tournament. Global attention will focus on the Dallas Cowboys' AT&T Stadium on Wednesday night as the team looks to repeat the success of Sir Alf Ramsey's 1966 heroes. Kane said, "This is one of the best opportunities we have as a team to win this," and acknowledged the fans' expectations, adding, "I want the fans to feel that excitement, whether they're here or at home." Many of those fans stayed late Tuesday night at the Londoner Pub in the American city, some in costumes and wrapped in Saint Patrick's flags. George. Even though the pub advertised a later closing time, fans were asked to leave by bar staff and two police officers just before 10 p.m. The pub was eventually emptied, but many remained on the balcony outside the building for another few hours. Police confirmed that the early closure was due to the venue reaching its maximum capacity with only two security guards on duty. Before closing, the Londoner sold 2,352 bottles of beer, a total of over 5,000 beers, earning over £30,000 from the evening. After the fans remained on the pub's balcony, dozens of Dallas Police Department vehicles lined the road in front of the pub as officers watched the loud English fans chanting. Officers stood on the road for approximately 20 minutes before all police vehicles drove nearby and disappeared from view.  The fans then played football on the road and on the balcony for about an hour - the ball sometimes landed on the hoods of nearby vehicles. A small group was also seen throwing plants off the edge of the balcony. At the end of the evening, many English fans stayed behind to help bar staff clean up the mess created during the evening. The event began with fans creating a sea of ​​Saint's flags. George, dressing up and singing popular songs while braving the hot Dallas sun. Organizer John Gallivan, a 39-year-old resident of Bristol, told the news agency that the scale of Texas made it much more difficult for fans to find each other than at previous tournaments in Europe. He said: "America is huge, it's so big, so vast. When we go to Europe, it's really easy - you know where you're going to be. You don't have to ask, you don't have to look, you just know where we're going to be. In America, that's impossible - so the whole idea today was to find a place, run a beer promotion and advertise it." There were no police on site earlier in the event when fans dressed in England-themed clothing and wrapped in St. Patrick's Day flags. George packed the pub throughout the evening, with chants of "It's Coming Home" and "Don't take me home" as more and more fans arrived. Bristol Rovers fan Mr Gallivan said the event exceeded his expectations once it was releasedit on social media. He said many regular English fans were unable to attend due to the costs associated with attending the tournament. He said: "I think the way FIFA has organized it is outrageous. We were treated badly. We could have brought a lot more people here, but unfortunately they were overpaid." Mr. Gallivan added that England fans have been warmly welcomed by the Texans since arriving in the United States. He said: "Wherever I go, whether it's buying a drink in the shop or ordering food, as soon as I order, they immediately ask: 'Oh, where are you from? Britain? England?'. They're excited that you're here. So the whole narrative that England is disliked is not true at all." --- ## Related Articles 1. [Philadelphia Shines in Opening Week of FIFA World Cup 2026](https://pitchpulsemedia.com/en/news/philadelphia-shines-in-opening-week-of-fifa-world-cup-2026) 2. [World Cup 2026](https://azkalsgoal.com/fil/news/world-cup-2026-muling-luminaw-ang-hati-ng-iran-sa-harap-ng-laban-kontra-new-zealand)