Posted on 7th August 2026
Fans’ Embassy: Vital part of following England away
Throughout June and July, our Free Lions Fans’ Embassy team was across the pond supporting travelling England fans on their journey through the 2026 World Cup which took them across the US and Mexico.
Our Fans’ Embassy service is a well-established and vital part of the England away scene, having been active for almost three decades in some form or other. And World Cup 2026 was one of our most challenging Fans’ Embassy operations yet.
Practical supporter for thousands on the road
The 2026 World Cup presented a mammoth task for our Fans’ Embassy staff and volunteers as the scale of the FIFA’s premier competition stepped up: taking place across three countries with 48 teams in 16 different host cities.
Fans’ Embassy lead Thomas Concannon said: “This was always going to be one of the most gruelling tournaments for us – and travelling fans – given the sheer number of games and distances between many of the host cities.
“Despite all those challenges we had a successful tournament off the pitch and the England away crowds managed to have a very enjoyable World Cup.”
For the first time we developed a tournament-specific website – freelions.co.uk – as our main guide for the duration of the tournament, replacing the traditional print guide, which can be repurposed for future events.
The mobile-friendly guide operated alongside our fanzines, social media channels and WhatsApp community to give travelling supporters the up-to-date information they needed.
Once again we handed out thousands of our individual match editions of Free Lions which were still highly-sought after and were available at every fixture from the pre-tournament friendlies all the way through to England’s semi-final against Argentina.
Those match-specific guides included the 200th edition of the Free Lions – a remarkable milestone for the fanzine.
“The feedback we continue to get from supporters is very encouraging,” Thomas said. “It’s why we do what we do.
“The fact that it’s a ‘by fans, for fans’ service is why people rate it so highly and why it’s still a vital part of the England away scene even after all these decades.”
Praise from government officials
England took on Mexico in the round of 16 after passing through the group stages and were drawn to take on the co-hosts in Mexico City’s famous Azteca Stadium.
Despite the hype around the game and the intensity of the match, the fixture was a success on and off the pitch for England. England fans were praised for their behaviour before and after the game while the Mexican capital proved to be one of the tournament’s most popular destinations.
Thomas described Mexico City as “an incredible city with even better people” and was a trip the Fans’ Embassy and England fans will never forget.
“For those who travelled from England, this will be remembered as one of the favourite away trips,” he said. “Thank you to everyone who organised, hosted and welcomed us with such warmth and respect.”
Mexico City was one of the host venues that was included in our pre-tournament programme of reconnaissance visits – giving us a chance before a ball is kicked to see stadiums, speak to local government and security services, sample local transport and much more.
“These visits are a crucial part of our Fans’ Embassy’ work and inform a large part of what goes into our guides,” Thomas said.
That preparation paid dividends as the Mexico City trip went off without a hitch, something that was marked out for praise by British government officials.
Britain’s ambassador to Mexico Susannah Goshko personally thanked the FSA and Fans’ Embassy team for their work before and after the game.
“From the earliest stages of planning through to the final whistle, your support, advice and partnership have been invaluable,” she said. “You have helped us better understand and support travelling fans, and your practical insight, regular engagement and willingness to help have made a real difference to our preparations and operations.
“Much of the work you do happens behind the scenes, but it has had a tangible impact on the experience of British fans here in Mexico. We have greatly valued your professionalism, good humour and collaborative approach throughout what has been a busy and exciting few weeks.”
England fans’ exceptional behaviour
World Cup 2026 was another nail in the coffin for the old stereotype of the English football hooligan.
It was the third successive overseas tournament – following Russia and Qatar – that passed with minimal disorder and arrests.
The UK Football Policing Unit (UKFPB) praised England supporters for their behavior, saying there had been no reports of any violence or disorder involving England supporters in America, with just two of five arrests coming at a World Cup match.
“The behaviour of England fans – and of course the Scots – has been excellent throughout the group stages of the World Cup,” chief constable Mark Roberts, head of the UKFPU, said.
“In our pre-briefs we stressed to local law enforcement the positive record of our fans at recent World Cups, and it is great to see that continuing and the fans being policed according to their behaviour, not an outdated reputation.”
The Fans’ Embassy’s work, particularly our multi-agency work across nations, is an important part of that positive trend.
Ashley Brown from our Fans’ Embassy said: “A lot of hard work over many years, from everyone across football, has gone into transforming the England away experience.
“We’re proud to be a part of that story.”
