England fan spent his £10,000 life savings to take grandfather to FIFA World Cup; he suddenly received the money back after the win | Football News

The FIFA World Cup 2026 is currently going on and the fan craze around football’s biggest tournament is insane. From travelling across the globe to giving up their life savings, people have pulled up all kinds of tricks to be able to attend the matches in person and check off a bucket list event from their lives.Among them is a sweet grandson who gave up his life savings to be able to take his grandfather to an England match. Jacob Allmendinger, 21, from North Ferriby in East Yorkshire had been taken to Tigers’ games most of his life by his grandpa Geoff Golliker, 79.Growing up, Allmendinger had saved up £10,000 over the course of a few years in order to purchase a home of his own. But this time, he decided he wanted to take his grandpa to the World Cup and managed to secure tickets for himself and his grandad, who said he was “completely over the moon.” “I can always make money back, I’m at the age where I can afford to miss out on a house for two or three years. But I won’t ever get to go to the World Cup with my grandad again. We get on like a house on fire. We’re more best mates than grandad and grandson,” he said.The duo became a viral internet sensation whilst travelling through the USA and Mexico. Spotting their story, US-based crypto casino Metawin promised on X to refund the cash if England beat DR Congo. Following England’s 2-1 victory, the firm honoured their word, leaving Jacob stunned. “I was amazed, it was an incredible gesture,” he said.“I didn’t quite believe it, to be honest, until I looked at my bank and it was there. I was just in shock,” said the 21-year-old who received the amount after England’s victory over DR Congo in Atlanta.Now, the pair has become a sensation. “We’re getting recognised quite a bit. When we were in New York, a guy came up to us and said, ‘Are you the guys travelling around?’ It was brilliant,” said Golliker.Allmendinger said he had been bombarded with positive messages online. “I think it just resonates with people. I’ve had people reach out who have lost their grandparents and how they wish they’d done something similar,” he said. “It just makes us cherish this time more, really.”Since landing in New York, the duo have travelled across cities to follow England’s campaign. They travelled to Atlanta, in Georgia for the match with DR Congo and the Azteca Stadium, where they watched the 3-2 victory over co-hosts Mexico. Now, they are heading to Miami for England’s quarter-final match against Norway on Saturday. “It was a once-in-a-generation game to watch. The parallels to now and 1966 when we last beat Mexico in the World Cup and then went on to win the whole thing, it kind of gets you giddy for the rest of the trip,” said the young fan.As for the money, Allmendinger said he plans to save it until they get home. “We could go to the European Championships [2028], I could buy a house, anything is possible. It’s just great to have options,” he said.