England and Panama fans in New York as excitement grows for Group L meeting

England can finish top of the group with victory over Panama, while the Central Americans have already been eliminated after back-to-back defeats to Ghana and Croatia.

For many supporters, simply being part of the World Cup experience in the city that will host the final is enough.

Ariel and Lena, who have travelled from Panama, were taking photographs of the Manhattan Bridge from the city's iconic Washington Street, a short walk from the Brooklyn Bridge park fanzone where Beckham was making a guest appearance.

Ariel watched Panama's defeat to Ghana in Toronto and will now take Lena, along with five friends, to her first World Cup game.

Dressed in Panama shirts, the couple were soaking up one of Brooklyn's most recognisable views ahead of Saturday's match.

"England are favourites to win, but Panama will have to do their best because (we are already) eliminated and England will (need) to win the group," he told Flashscore. 

"We are very proud right now about our football team," Lena added. "Tomorrow we will enjoy the game and we are very sure (Panama) will do a great job."

Nearby, London friends Bella and Annie have made the Big Apple the latest stop on their World Cup tour as they search for the perfect place to watch the Three Lions.

The pair have travelled without match tickets, choosing instead to experience the tournament with other fans in the city centre.

"We were in Dallas, then we came up to Boston, and now we’re in New York," Bella said.

"Dallas was a lot more fun than Boston," Annie added. "I know obviously the game didn't go as well, but the vibe was just a bit off (with Boston). I think there was such a hype with Scotland that when you got there as an England fan it was just a bit (low-key).

"I saw on Instagram how much Americans preferred the Scottish fans. 'The Scottish fans were so fun', I was like, okay..."

Annie has followed England at several major tournaments, most recently at Euro 2024 in Germany.

"I like the whole following the team around," she explained.

"I'm an Arsenal fan and she's a Tottenham fan, so we actually both do the same thing home and away for Tottenham and Arsenal so it's only right for us to be able to actually do something together when it comes to the World Cup. 

"We don't really speak to each other during the football season," she joked. "(With England) I feel it's more a bit of fun than it is we actually have a chance (of winning)."

Closer to the waterfront, New York brothers Carter and Gavin Stone were also enjoying the pre-match build-up. Both are football fans but among those who felt ticket prices were too expensive so plan to watch the match from the fanzone instead.

"I've never been to England to be able to watch them in person, but I watch them all the time (on TV)," Carter, a Leeds fan, said.

Gavin, sporting a Liverpool top, added: "I've been watching England for a while and I definitely support them because I know so many of the players. Particularly at Euro 2020, I was very sad when they missed all those pens. I thought that was the one they were gonna win."

'Always the same with England'

Meanwhile, the city's famous Times Square was awash with Panama supporters waving flags and scarves on Friday afternoon, but England fans Andrew and his son Tyler stood out after arriving from Boston earlier in the day.

The pair have tickets for Saturday's match and they believe England have every chance of going deep into the tournament, even if past experiences has taught them to remain cautious.

"We're always the same, aren’t we? We believe we're gonna win it until we don't," Andrew said.

"We should win (tomorrow) but we're already through now aren't we so I don't think it matters. Early in the tournament isn't it, just get used to the team, who's gonna play best. 

"I think (Bukayo) Saka has probably got a little bit of a knock and we'll be much better when he's back in the team, but I'm confident.

"We've got a great side. I don't look at the other teams and think 'they've got much better than us'. As long as we can hold our nerves, we're gonna have a go."

Tyler is equally hopeful.

"We'll get through the first couple of knockout rounds easily," he said. "Quarters and semis we’ll struggle a little bit but we’ll go through. Hopefully we'll win it."

Tyler was draped in a Swindon Town flag - a reminder that following England requires a particular kind of resilience.

"I don’t know if you’ve ever followed Swindon but it's basically torture, mixed with hope and despair," Andrew said. "Very similar to supporting England."