The 1990 experience was hardly perfect. Fans faced water confiscations and complained about £55 tickets, while hooliganism damaged the tournament’s image. Yet the scale remained human. Supporters travelled through Italy in battered vans, stayed in budget hotels and campsites, and followed England from Bari to Rimini.
A film following Bobby Robson’s squad captured access that would be almost impossible today. England supporters could move around team camps, watch training and even encounter Robson at his hotel. The campaign itself carried a simple sporting rhythm: draws with the Republic of Ireland and the Netherlands, wins over Egypt, Belgium and Cameroon, then defeat by West Germany in the semi-final.
The modern World Cup offers more matches but demands more from supporters. Travel between host cities across three countries can turn following one team into a major logistical and financial project. Some final tickets have been listed at $33,000, while revenues are expected to pass £10bn.
The difference is visible even in warm-up football. England’s meeting with Costa Rica in Orlando featured food-filled hospitality areas behind the goal during a Declan Rice corner. Mid-match water breaks were presented with branded messaging, making the commercial layer impossible to miss.
Italia 90 was not an innocent golden age. England’s semi-final defeat became iconic partly because of Paul Gascoigne’s tears, but the tournament also exposed serious problems around crowd behaviour and security.
Still, the contrast matters. The old tournament brought supporters, players and local communities into the same physical story. The modern version prioritises capacity, broadcast reach and commercial return. Both are football events; only one feels built around travelling fans.
The next World Cup will test whether its expanded format can recover some of that connection-or whether scale and sponsorship will remain the defining match away from the pitch.