Tickets for the Ghana vs Panama match in Toronto on June 17 – between teams in the same group as England – are available from Fifa. The cheapest direct from the organisers are $450 (£335), but on the official resale platform tickets are selling for $412 (£308). This price is likely to fall as the date approaches. In total, flights plus accommodation and matches are selling for £910 per person, based on two people sharing the hotel room. Travellers who are happy to stay in the popular, central Casa Loma hostel will pay even less.
Dwindling demand
Most World Cup matches are taking place in the US, but dwindling demand means American carriers are cutting fares to levels rarely seen in summer. Through the online travel agent Kiwi, flights between London Heathrow and Washington DC are being sold for £442 return, flying June 18 to 23. The outbound flight is via Vienna on Austrian Airlines, but the inbound is non-stop on United.
The new and stylish CitizenM hotel in Georgetown is selling double rooms for £384 for four nights, corresponding to £192 per person. A long weekend in Washington with flights and quality accommodation for just £634 per person would be a bargain at any time of year, let alone in one of the peak summer months.
Besides being a superb city for tourists, the US capital is well placed for World Cup matches at nearby Philadelphia. Tickets for the Brazil-Haiti game on June 19 are selling for $829 (£618) on the Fifa resale site, nearly doubling the cost of the trip. But ticket prices are falling: for that match, the cheapest dropped by £20 overnight on Friday morning.
California dreaming
California is also on sale. Flying non-stop on Virgin Atlantic from London Heathrow to Los Angeles on June 15 for a week, returning on Delta via Salt Lake City, is priced at £557 through online agent Carlton Leisure. Many budget hotels and motels are available at under £100 double per night; for example, the Roxy Hotel in Hollywood is selling at £540 for a week, or £270 per person. Among the World Cup matches being held in LA, tickets for Switzerland vs Bosnia on June 18 are available for $247 (£184). The total for a week with flights, accommodation and a match ticket is just £1,011.
Tickets for matches involving England and Scotland are scarce and expensive. But flight seats are still available. Telegraph Travel has checked the lowest non-stop fares from Edinburgh to Boston on June 13, the day of the first Scotland game in the city against Haiti, and returning from Miami after the last group match against Brazil on June 24 via Paris. The total fare is under £1,200.
Travellers should not pay for any travel arrangements until they have an Esta permit issued, allowing them to fly to the US, or an eTA for Canada.
Air fares include only cabin baggage. Fares, hotel rates and World Cup ticket prices were researched on the morning of June 12. All taxes are included.
