Cheapest World Cup 2026 travel options for British and Irish football fans

In an era of affordable flights across the Irish Sea, some fans may be prepared to get creative. Here we reveal their options ahead of the summer tournament in the USA, Canada and Mexico.

With the 2026 World Cup spread across the USA, Canada and Mexico, simply booking the nearest airport flight may not be the smartest play for British and Irish supporters.

In an era of ultra-competitive transatlantic pricing and cheap hops across the globe, fans willing to think laterally can save hundreds before they’ve even stepped into a stadium.

Below, we break down the best-value travel routes for England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, and the Republic of Ireland (should the latter three qualify in March), with a focus on how getting a little inventive can make all the difference.

Note: All prices are for June 9th, 2025, two days before the tournament kicks off and based on a one-way flight price only, with the lowest average price considered.

England World Cup 2026 Travel Options

England Match Cities & Cheapest Flights: Tuesday 9th June

Key Talking Points for England

With an assumed arrival date of Tuesday, 9th June, England fans could have plenty of time for fun before seeing action in their North American city of choice. Thankfully, how they might get there is a pretty clear picture – that’s as Gatwick emerges as the value leader to all three host cities, with excellent fares of £321 to Dallas, £275 to Boston, and £235 to New Jersey.

For supporters based in the north and west of England, Dublin Airport’s £248 fare into New Jersey could prove a smart and cheap option to undercut prices from regional airports such as Manchester Airport (£295) or Liverpool (£292), where prices are certain to rise sharply as the tournament approaches.

In truth, however, London’s own Gatwick Airport emerges as the obvious option for all three World Cup cities. As you will see, the other nations haven’t been so fortunate with logistics.

Scotland World Cup 2026 Travel Options

Scotland Match Cities & Cheapest Flights: Tuesday 9th June

Key Talking Points for Scotland

Scotland’s group includes back-to-back Boston matches, which works in the fans’ favour. Boston offers the strongest value from Gatwick Airport (£275), but more importantly, it provides okay value from Edinburgh Airport (£315). Glasgow Airport (£333), meanwhile, is the cheaper of the Scottish options to Miami for the match against five-time winners Brazil.

Gatwick again stands out as the cheapest overall option, though, with departures to Miami on June 9th working out as £276 – a whole £57 less than the Glasgow fare. Heading to Miami so early would, unfortunately, mean Scots would need to fork out for two weeks in the Florida city before their team faces Brazil.

Republic of Ireland World Cup 2026 Travel Options

Ireland Match Cities & Cheapest Flights: Tuesday 9th June

Key Talking Points for Ireland

Ireland’s potential group is one of the most challenging from a travel perspective, with two matches in Mexico and one in the south of the USA. Manchester Airport presents the cheapest flight to Guadalajara (£457), but it is hardly worth the £32 difference in flying from Dublin Airport for £489. Cork flyers may consider the move, though, as flights from their nearest airport work out as a daunting £536.

Those fans willing to set up early in Atlanta are presented with some interesting options. June 9th flights to Atlanta from London’s Gatwick Airport come in at just £308 – an intriguing option if travellers can bag a cheap Ireland-to-London flight for the same date. That’s because Cork Airport (£420) and Shannon Airport (£434) cost more than £100 extra.

Gatwick again offers the cheapest option to Mexico City (£442), but Dublin Airport is just £44 extra at £486. The same couldn’t be said for Shannon Airport at £537 or Cork Airport, where flights to Mexico City are £597.

Wales World Cup 2026 Travel Options

Wales Match Cities & Cheapest Flights: Tuesday 9th June

Key Talking Points for Wales

Toronto stands out as one of the best-value World Cup routes in the entire dataset, particularly from Cardiff Airport, where flights cost just £196 at the time of writing. Los Angeles (£326), where Wales could face Switzerland, and Seattle (£337), where Qatar are the scheduled opponent, would be more expensive from the Welsh capital, but still relatively achievable.

Bargain-hunting fans will notice that Gatwick Airport presents the cheapest flights to Toronto (£179) and Seattle (£316), but that Belfast City Airport (£267), Glasgow Airport (£302) and Dublin Airport (£304) are among the cheaper options to Los Angeles.

Overall, Wales fans benefit from strong access to Canada, making Toronto an ideal base before travelling west for later matches. The rest can be figured out from there – should they qualify at all.

Northern Ireland World Cup 2026 Travel Options

Northern Ireland Match Cities & Cheapest Flights: Tuesday 9th of June

Key Talking Points for Northern Ireland

Only one of Northern Ireland or Wales can qualify, but in any case, Northern Irish fans face a mixed picture. For instance, Belfast City Airport performs exceptionally well for Los Angeles (£267), but fans would need to stay in California nine days before kick-off in the above scenario.

The Belfast airport prices are, unfortunately, less competitive for potential Toronto and Seattle games, where fares are significantly higher. Dublin Airport and London Gatwick provide cheaper alternatives, making repositioning a sensible strategy – especially for Seattle, where the price difference exceeds £100 in the case of Gatwick v Belfast City Airport.

Overall conclusion

Across all five nations, London and Dublin dominate for value, particularly for Canada and the U.S. East Coast. When it comes to one particular fanbase and their needs, it is clear, however, that Welsh fans are the most fortunate of all – should they manage to qualify.

That’s because flights from Cardiff to Toronto are among the cheapest in the entire dataset (£196), and as the fixture falls early in round one, there would be little waiting around for matchday. Scottish fans will also be thankful for having their opening two games in Boston, as it minimises inter-North American travel costs and coordination.

In brief, World Cup fans who think creatively about where they fly can put a win on the board before a ball is even kicked. It’s just a case of who is willing to do their research and who isn’t!

Summary

English Fans:

The cheapest flights to Dallas for the opening game: Gatwick (£321), Belfast (£358), Glasgow (£364).

For fans wanting to set up in Boston: Gatwick (£275), Bristol (£298), Manchester (£301)

For fans wanting to set up in New Jersey: Gatwick (£235), Dublin (£248), Heathrow (£277)

Scottish Fans:

The cheapest flights to Boston for opening two games are Gatwick (£275), Bristol (£298), Manchester (£301) /// Scottish Options – Edinburgh (£315), Glasgow (£342).

For fans wanting to set up in Miami: Gatwick (£276), Heathrow (£285), Liverpool (£292) // Scottish Options – Glasgow (£333), Edinburgh (£343)

Irish Fans:

The cheapest flights to Guadalajara for the opening game: Manchester (£457), Belfast (£458), Gatwick (£459) // Irish Options – Dublin (£489), Shannon (£506), Cork (£536)

For fans wanting to set up in Atlanta: Gatwick (£308), Belfast (£345), Cardiff (£350) // Irish Options – Dublin (£365), Cork (£420), Shannon (£434).

For fans wanting to set up in Mexico City: Gatwick (£442), Cardiff (£479), Glasgow (£468) // Irish Options – Dublin (£486), Shannon (£537), Cork (£597)

Welsh Fans:

The cheapest flights to Toronto for opening game: Gatwick (£179), Cardiff (£196), Bristol (£237)

For fans wanting to set up in Los Angeles: Belfast (£267), Glasgow (£302), Dublin (£304) // Welsh Options – Bristol* (£314), Cardiff (£326)

For fans wanting to set up in Seattle: Gatwick (£316), Cardiff (£337), Dublin (£352)

Northern Irish Fans:

The cheapest flights to Toronto for the opening game: Gatwick (£179), Cardiff (£196), Bristol (£237) // Northern Irish Option – Belfast (£279)

For fans wanting to set up in Los Angeles: Belfast (£267), Glasgow (£302), Dublin (£304)

For fans wanting to set up in Seattle: Gatwick (£316), Cardiff (£337), Dublin (£352) // Northern Irish Option – Belfast (£426)

Methodology

Google Flight Search was used to collect the cheapest flights from each airport chosen and the airports chosen in each World Cup city.

Prices were based on a one-way economy flight only on June 9th, two days before the opening game of the 2026 World Cup

Data correct as of January 2026.

*Prices will be subject to change

Visit Betway’s World Cup betting page