England fans partying ahead of today’s crunch quarter-final with Norway were left dripping wet after a tropical storm swept in bringing an end to outdoor parties.
More than 30,000 fans are said have travelled to Miami for the game – and although there were several thousand on the iconic South Beach on Friday night, they were easily outnumbered by Viking helmet wearing Norwegians.
A hot and sticky eve of match with temperatures topping 35C had led many Three Lions supporters to head to the Cleavelander bar which was offering a pool party.
The venue – just yards from the mansion where designer Gianni Versace was murdered in 1997 – bills itself as the ‘Soccer Headquarters’ and was packed with hundreds of fans as St George’s flags hung from every balcony.
But as the bash looked set to last well into the night, huge thunderclaps boomed across the sky and lightening flashed over the Atlantic Ocean, as driving rain swept the city accompanied by strong winds.
Earlier Wonderwall, Sweet Caroline and Football’s Coming Home had echoed across the bar, as supporters got into the swing of it downing beers and cocktails while floating in the pool on Flamingo rubber rings.
The event was organised by Sports Direct who said they had wanted to ensure fans were not being ‘ripped off’ as prices for the tournament have been heavily criticised – with beer going at $6 a bottle and bowl cocktails at $15.
The event got so boisterous that at one point the host was heard to say:’ Please, guys, take it easy out there, we have your safety to think off,’ but his pleas fell on deaf ears as he was met with boos and jeers.
Devon and Jessica Steele, 29, from Stoke on Trent at the Sports Direct Pool Party held at the Clevelander Hotel
Thousands of England fans descended on Miami yesterday and true to tradition painted the town red
Pictures show England supporters revelling at pool parties – with police needed to escort some out
England fans partying ahead of today’s crunch quarter-final with Norway were left dripping wet after a tropical storm swept in bringing an end to outdoor parties
Bristol Rovers supporter John, who declined to give his surname, said: ‘This is epic, there are so many England fans here and we are going to have a great party, win the game and win the World Cup.
‘We just need the team that turned up against Mexico to do the same thing against Norway because that performance was phenomenal.’
There appeared to be far more supporters in Miami than were in Mexico with travel easier as more flights operate between the UK and Florida – although there were also many expats.
Gary Edwards, 40, from Brighton, was in Miami with his 10-year-old son who he asked not to be identified, flew in from London on late on Thursday.
Mr Edwards, who works for a holiday company, hit the tourist hot spots of South Beach with his son to savour the atmosphere.
He said: ‘We have tickets for the Norway game and the semi finals if we get there but I will fly back Sunday with my son and then come back.
‘Yes, it will be expensive, but it has to be done. He so excited to be going and so am I, it’s going to be a fantastic atmosphere.
‘We got them through the England Supporters Travel Club, and we could have gone to the group games, but I decided to gamble for the semi and quarters.
One fan might have a sore head for today’s fixture as he was pictured in a starfish position laying down on the floor after one too many
Huge thunderclaps boomed across the sky and lightening flashed over the Atlantic Ocean, as driving rain swept the city accompanied by strong winds
Three lions fans partied the night away in the build-up to England’s World Cup quarter-final tie against Norway
An England fan is ejected from a bar as police are called to a bar in South Beach, Miami
England fans enjoyed the blistering sunshine at a pool party held at the Clevelander Hotel
England fans were seen drinking from the bottle as they prep for another long day of drinking before the quarter final tie
Three Lions fans cooled off in the pool at a booze-fest before the night before England’s massive fixture
‘I’m always confident for every tournament but this time it really does feel good, there is such a togetherness between the players, you can see it and feel it, which makes me feel good.
‘The only worry is injuries and yellow cards, especially as Jude (Bellingham) and Harry (Kane) have one each so they need to be careful.’
Also, among Three Lions fans in Miami were Oliver and Sally Wallace and their two children, Sam and Leo, who are originally from Warlingham, Surrey but now live in Orlando, Florida.
Mr Wallace, 44, told the Daily Mail he was hoping England win the World Cup as it would be especially poignant for him because his late father Stuart went to the 1966 Wembley win.
He said: ‘Dad went to all the games in 1966 right from the group games to the knockout and we have all the tickets and the programmes, he said the final was one of the best days of his life.
‘When he passed away and were clearing out his things we found the final ticket and he paid 10 shillings or 50p which is the equivalent of £10 today.
‘Which when you think how much they are asking for tickets to the games is crazy – although to be fair I would be willing to pay up to 10,000 if I could get all four of us in.
‘But to be honest I don’t mind watching the Miami game in a fan zone and then go to Atlanta for the semi-final if we win.’
Storms have been forecast for just ahead of kick off and temperatures are set to soar to 35C again with a heat advisory in place but officials will be eager to avoid a repeat of last weekend’s hour delay against Mexico
England fans weren’t the only ones enjoying Miami beach. Norway fans were spotted performing their ‘Viking row’ chant
England fans at a bar in South Beach, Miami ahead of England’s game against Norway
Three lions fans were focused on what they hope will be another step towards ending the country’s 60 year wait for major tournament success
The game will be played at the Hard Rock Stadium in Florida tonight as thousands partied the night away across South Beach
Miami Beach Police were called to a bar as England fans descended on the city
Property manager Mr Edwards added:’We went to the Costa Rica friendly, and the boys really enjoyed it, and I reckon we will win 2-1 against Norway.’
Earlier around 3,000 fans led by former Liverpool legend John Arne Riise, had performed their now traditional ‘Viking Row’ along Ocean Drive on Miami’s South Beach as bemused locals looked on while.
To the ominous beat of a drum Riise led the mass ranks of Norwegians – who will be backed at the stadium by royalty with Crown Prince Haakon – pulled on imaginary oars while Three Lions supporters put them off by singing ‘It’s Coming Home’.
Jeremy Dean, 45, a surveyor of Swindon, Wiltshire, watched the mass ‘Viking row’ on Ocean Drive last night and said: ‘I’ll be honest, we are a bit outnumbered by the Viking warriors. There’s masses of them.
‘They are taking the mickey with their ‘England’s going home’ song, but it’s all good humoured and we have had a few beers with them.
‘Hopefully it will be them on their way back over the water soon.
‘There has been a good crowd of England fans in the Soccer Headquarters bar and everyone singing along to all the hits, Hey Jude, and so on.’
Lucus Braaten, 28, a lawyer from Oslo, Norway, said: ‘We have invaded Ocean Drive Miami and seen off the English with our singing. Now we have to trust in Haaland to do the same on the pitch.
England fans soaking up the sun in Miami as 10,000 are expected to attend today’s match
Eliza, in the Stars and Stripes bikini with Adam Randle, Emdad Rahman and Matt Elliott
Mark Corbett, 40, from Bordon Hampshire enjoying the pool party in the pink flamingo
‘Miami has been a great party for both sides.’
Anders Roberg-Larsen said:’I couldn’t dream of this. I’m very into football, we have some good players, but to go all this way, I think it’s unbelievable.
‘It will be a tough match; we will fight and hopefully we will win.’
Sheffield musician and actor Chris McLure, who fronts Sports Direct’s campaigns, as Steve Bracknall, and is touring the World Cup in an RV whipped the pool party crowd into a frothing frenzy.
Starting with a chant of “England, England, England,” he went on to tell Three Lions fans: ‘Everybody, since June 9 I’ve been facing a f****** divorce back home in Sheffield.
‘But who cares because England have landed in Miami. They told us we’d struggle. They told us that no one could party like the Scottish.
‘The Scottish aren’t the only ones to make friends. They told us we would never come out of the Azteca alive.
‘And now they are telling us we won’t beat the Norwegian row. Well, I’m sorry Norway but the English don’t do f****** nursery rhymes, alright.
‘England are in a quarter final of the World Cup. And I am telling you now, there will be no f****** rowing in New York.’
There will be plenty of club connections between the two teams – Erling Haaland will face Manchester City teammates Nico O’Reilly and Marc Guehi, as well as former City teammate John Stones, who announced he was leaving at the end of last season.
Norway captain Martin Odegaard plays alongside Arsenal champions Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice.
Meanwhile for the quarter final England will be in their traditional white kits for the match at the Miami’s 65,326 seater Hard Rock stadium.
FIFA’s website was still showing tickets available ‘from $1790’ but when attempts were made to buy them the sale failed to go through, while resale sites had some for $1885.
Storms have been forecast for just ahead of kick off and temperatures are set to soar to 35C again with a heat advisory in place but officials will be eager to avoid a repeat of last weekend’s hour delay against Mexico.
David Beckham (right) speaks with England captain Harry Kane at Inter Miami’s training base
Fifa rules mandate that play must immediately pause if lightning is detected within an eight-mile radius of the stadium. Each strike should delay the game by 30 minutes.
England’s last 16 game against Mexico was delayed by an hour – forcing dedicated fans at home to stay up until 2am on Monday morning.
England captain and top goal scorer Harry Kane will be looking to end Scandinavian dreams and said yesterday that he was hoping to do Sir David Beckham proud.
The former skipper visited Thomas Tuchel’s men as they stepped up preparations for the crunch clash with Erling Haaland and Co.
They trained on Friday afternoon at the facilities of Inter Miami – the Major League Soccer side co-owned by Beckham.
Former England captain Beckham, who won 115 caps for his country – with 58 of those as skipper, enjoyed a chat with current successor Harry Kane before training.
‘He just wished us luck,’ Kane revealed. ‘After most games he messages me and we stay in touch. He was there to support us.
‘We were using the home that he’s built and we appreciated him hosting us. It was good to catch up with him. He’s an England legend. Hopefully we can do him proud tomorrow.’
England fans won’t have long to recover from brutal hangovers as kick-off is expected at 5pm local time
Beckham enjoyed a chat with midfielder Declan Rice (right) and Jordan Pickford (left)
When the session started, Beckham watched on from the sidelines alongside two of his sons Romeo and Cruz.
At home, pubs will stay open until 2am tonight as fans are expected to drink 42million pints.
Around 22million people – one in three of the population – are estimated to stay up late to watch England’s World Cup quarter-final, which kicks off at 10pm.
Even if the game is delayed due to thunder or extreme heat, pubs in England and Wales can remain open until 30 minutes after the final whistle is blown.
Ministers had already pushed opening hours for the game until 2am, but have made the extra extension with flexible licensing laws.
Policing minister Sarah Jones said: ‘England fans deserve the chance to watch every minute of the quarter-final together, and that is exactly what our extension guarantees.
‘After the weather delay we saw before the Mexico game, we want to give fans and venues complete certainty that no-one will miss a moment of the action.
‘I hope pubs and bars across England and Wales are packed on Saturday night, as we hopefully move one step closer to bringing football home.’
Around 22million people – one in three of the population – are estimated to stay up late to watch England’s World Cup quarter-final, which kicks off at 10pm. Pictured: Fans watching England versus Mexico at Boxpark
An audience of 17million is expected on ITV, plus five million on ITVX streaming to devices, the highest ratings since a combined 24.2million watched the Euro 2024 final, BARB figures show. Pictured: Fans watching England versus Mexico at Boxpark
It is anticipated that 2.5million drinkers will squeeze into England’s 35,000 pubs for the game, with an estimated 21million pints set to be drunk in boozers, and another 21million downed at home.
An audience of 17million is expected on ITV, plus five million on ITVX streaming to devices, the highest ratings since a combined 24.2million watched the Euro 2024 final, BARB figures show.
Viewing figures will be boosted by many children being allowed to stay up for the game, with no school the following day.
However, this did not stop 9.1million tuning into England’s round of 16 clash against Mexico, which kicked off at 2am on Monday.
The BBC said this was the biggest television audience ever for a live UK broadcast between 2am and 4am.
It also set the record for the most-watched football game in US history, with 44million watching on across the pond.
Pubs and bars in England and Wales saw transactions rise 367 per cent between 1am and 3am and 746 per cent between 3am and 5am, compared to a typical Monday morning, according to payments company Square.
It is estimated that nearly six million pints were served during England’s historic win over Mexico, but pub bosses are hoping to sell more than triple tomorrow night.
If England are able to overcome Norway and Erling Haaland, it will set up a semi-final clash against either Argentina or Switzerland on Wednesday, July 15, at 8pm.
The final takes place on Sunday, July 19, with another 8pm kick-off time.
