By the numbers, the 2026 World Cup has been mammoth: 102 games have taken place over the past 35 days, with players, coaches and supporters crossing Canada, the United States and Mexico along the way.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino himself has travelled over 50,000 miles via private jet. But some fans from the final four teams playing this weekend in the tournament's third-place playoff and all-important final have somehow managed to be there every step of the way.
We tracked down three World Cup superfans to find out what their journey has been like, how much money it has cost them, and whether it has all been worth it.
ESPN's Lizzy Becherano, Connor O'Halloran and Lluis Bou contributed to this story.
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Spain's trumpeter
Argentina's face-painted superfan
England's three lions
Spain's trumpeter
Sete Fernández is the sound behind Spain's 37-game record equaling unbeaten run. He's been at every single game in that spell -- including their run to the World Cup final.
How have you enjoyed this World Cup journey... and how much has it cost?
Fernández: "I'm really making the most of it. I arrived on June 14 and have had so many experiences since then. Now, when I think back to when we were in Guadalajara [against Uruguay in the final group game], it already feels like ages ago. It's been a rollercoaster of emotions throughout this time, mixed feelings.
"You can feel the tiredness because we've been bouncing from one airport to another for over a month, travelling by road, by car... To be honest, there comes a point when it gets tiring. I think the reward is coming through in the national team's performance; they're doing very well in the tournament from a sporting perspective.
"Being a fan means travelling from one place to another, waiting to see what each journey has in store as we set out to catch up with the national team once again. All of us fans here are trying to stick to a budget for the World Cup and save as much as we can. We're a group and we try to share everything: accommodation, flights... What we have to do is make the money last as long as possible to get to the final.
"We've had to make sacrifices in many areas, staying in roadside hostels to try and save as much as possible -- places with four beds that squeeze in eight people, things like that... it's madness. At the moment, we're just trying to get by and survive here, which is what matters. Everything's very expensive, but as they say: 'For Spain, whatever it takes.'"
How long have you been following Spain?
Fernández: "I started watching the national team at Euro 2004. The first match I saw was Spain vs. Russia in Faro, Portugal. It was there that I had the idea of taking my trumpet with me because I'm a supporter of Club Deportivo Alhaurino, a Spanish third division side.
"At the time, Alhaurino were playing in the promotion playoffs. As soon as the playoffs finished, the European Championship started. We grabbed the trumpet and the bass drum from the group of us who were cheering them on and headed off to Faro. The fans loved it so much and were so impressed by the way I was cheering them on that it became a regular feature at subsequent tournaments.
"The real highlight was the 2006 World Cup in Germany, where the trumpet was the undisputed star of the show. Before that, at previous World Cups and European Championships, I didn't go to every match. I'd go to two at most because I couldn't afford it. Since then, after joining one of the supporters' clubs (there are two: Marea Roja and Furia Española), I now go to every match.
"In fact, I've now been to all of Spain's last 37 matches (they are unbeaten in that time), and I've been there with my trumpet in all 37 stadiums. For my part, I'm really happy to be taking on this incredible challenge of following the national team. It's a dream to get past 38 matches, because that means reaching the World Cup final here in the United States and heading to New York."
How did playing the trumpet at games come about?
Fernández: "Taking the trumpet to the national team wasn't something I planned; it just happened... Little by little, after taking my trumpet to the European Championship in Faro for the first time and seeing how well it was received in the stadiums, I gradually got into taking it to tournaments.
"Lately, I've been going to every match. Spanish fans identify with the trumpet, and it's bringing us a lot of luck in the stadium. Not just in the stadium; thanks to the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), we're now setting up meeting points for fans and organising processions to the stadium.
"We're organising some really great things, and Spanish fans are becoming increasingly happy in that regard."
What have been the best and worst moments of this World Cup for you?
Fernández: "I think the best is yet to come. I reckon that, of all my friends here, I've always been the most optimistic. Right from the start, I was certain that Spain would reach the final. Not just because I've been watching all the qualifying matches -- where Spain had a flawless campaign -- but also based on every competition they've been in previously, such as the European Championship.
"The worst bits are the long hours of waiting between games. You also have to bear in mind that before the tournament began, as soon as we landed in Miami -- following a one-and-a-half-hour delay on our outbound flight from Málaga to the United States -- our flight from Miami to Atlanta was cancelled, barely 10 hours before the start of the World Cup's opening match. I had two options: either miss the first match or drive for 10 hours, which was the time it would take to reach the stadium more or less by kick-off.
"We plucked up our courage and, having had practically no sleep, drove the 10 hours and arrived just as the match was starting. I think those are the two key moments of this World Cup. I hope Spain manages to win this World Cup; we have a great team.
"You can already tell from our voices that we fans are tired of all this travelling, but let's hope we're rewarded for all the effort we're putting in."
Will Spain win the World Cup?
Fernández: "Every chance in the world. As I've said before, I'm the most positive person there is. I was always convinced that Spain would do brilliantly in this World Cup; not just brilliantly, but that they're serious contenders for the title. The results are proving me right: Spain have conceded just one goal in the entire tournament and are playing very well.
"We no longer just sit back and wait for things to happen, as we used to when I first started out, when the quarterfinals were always as far as we'd go. In fact, at the last European Championship, once we got past the quarterfinals it was a walk in the park."
Argentina's face-painted superfan
Rodrigo Gonzalez Cejas is most certainly a superfan. He has been at every game this World Cup -- he has still arrived at every stadium even if he can't get a ticket -- and has gained notoriety among Argentina fans for painting his face every game.
How have you enjoyed this World Cup journey... and how much has it cost?
Cejas: "It's been much more expensive than Qatar [in 2022], about $30,000 more or less. I travelled to Boston and Los Angeles as well. I tried to get tickets for the matches, but I was unable to due to financial situations. Obviously, my priority is Argentina, but I stayed outside in the fanfare and enjoyed my time with the people there.
"I went right up to the stadium gates and then experienced the festive atmosphere surrounding the match by talking to the people."
How long have you been following Argentina?
Cejas: "Starting at the 2014 World Cup, I went to all the matches. I went to every Argentina game during that World Cup [Argentina were defeated 1-0 by Germany in the final.] I would arrive at the stadium without tickets and find them there. I just took it game by game.
"Since that World Cup, I have attended the qualifiers, both home and away. For instance, during the most recent ones, I went to every single home and away game. I went to Ecuador, Brazil, Colombia, Paraguay, and Chile. I attended every match.
"I've been doing this for several World Cups. I went to the 2018 tournament in Russia and in Qatar in 2022. Since 2014, I've been to over 100 Argentina matches and then obviously more before I started counting in 2014."
How did painting your face come about?
Cejas: "I've painted my face for over 100 Argentina matches. The first time was in 2014, at the Argentina vs. Netherlands game for the World Cup. That was the first time I painted my face.
"I always wore my original long-sleeved Argentina jersey, but since it rained at times during that match, I put my San Lorenzo shirt on over the Argentina one. That's why I wear the San Lorenzo shirt over the long-sleeved Argentina jersey now. That became my standard outfit: face paint, plus the Argentina and San Lorenzo shirts. It's sort of a lucky ritual."
What have been the best and worst moments of this World Cup for you?
Cejas: "The match I enjoyed the most was against Egypt, because after the 2022 final vs. France, that was the one where I suffered the most. Argentina weren't playing well, yet we turned around a match when it seemed almost impossible.
"For about 20 minutes against Egypt, we were down 2-0. We looked dead, we weren't attacking, and it just didn't look like it was going to happen. But we won."
Will Argentina win the World Cup?
Cejas: "Well, we aren't the favorites to win the World Cup. Getting to the final is one thing; winning it is another. The French know this -- they won in 2018, and we won in 2022 -- but we aren't the favorites. Still, in football, you never know."
England's three lions
England are known as "The Three Lions," and the Hawkins family from the village of Cholsey, near Oxfordshire, have taken that a little literally. Brother and sister Howard and Eve, as well as their dad, Glen, have dressed as lions for every game of England's 2026 World Cup journey.
How have you enjoyed this World Cup journey... and how much has it cost?
Eve: "It's been incredible, but if you compare it to other World Cups, it's the distance that you have to cover because America is massive. We wanted to see Mexico, so that's where we started, even though we weren't sure that England were going to play there. Then obviously we got a game there at the Azteca, which was the highlight for all of us. That was just insane."
Howard: "We've travelled 40,000 kilometres [25,000 miles.]"
Eve: "The heat is just humid, especially being dressed as lions. I know it's our own fault, but Miami was the most intense.
"The thing is you go to roll your suit down and then someone goes, 'Oh, Lions, please can I have a photo?' You just can't catch a break. So eventually you do have to say, 'I'm sorry, we need five minutes for a beer and then we'll be back.' You have to be quite stern at some point."
Howard: "The hats normally stay on. If anything, we normally might roll it down halfway just to get a bit of air in and then that's about it."
Glen: "£45,000, it's all cost [between three of them.]"
Glen: "I always say to people, if you love family, you love sport, you love meeting other people and you love discovering news places, there's nothing that comes close to a World Cup tournament. The memories that you get in the buildup, during it and then after it are incredible. But nevertheless, I still would've liked to have paid less money."
Howard: "The issue [if we'd got to the final] is the money. I think the bank's been broke. That's the worst bit [not going to the final]. You go for it this whole time, then it's like not finishing the race."
How long have you been following England?
Howard: "2014 in Brazil was our first tournament. We've been to every one since, European Championships included.
"In Brazil, we were there for six weeks, but we [England] got knocked out in the first two weeks in the group stage. We still stayed there for another moment just because it was Brazil, partying on the beach and watching all the other games. We've seen it all."
What have been the best and worst moments of this World Cup for you?
Glen: "There's many more highs than there are lows without any question. It's just an incredible social experience being at the World Cup. I was really fatigued in particular at the end of the match in Miami, a combination of the heat, the humidity, being in the outfits all day, getting to and from the stadium was really poorly organized and it was a nightmare to get back. So, physically, that's when I was done.
Howard: "It was pretty rough. I was out in Miami till about 5.00 a.m., but dad, it took him out. When we take the suit off for a little bit, dad's still got it on full to the neck and to the head. He's happy to just stay in it and do it for the boys. So he had a banging headache after."
Glen: "I suppose the lows, fortunately, were only temporary lows, going behind in both the Norway and the Congo DR matches. The counterpoint to that, of course, it makes the highs higher. It does, yeah. That's the craziness of following England, this tournament."
Howard: "As for the high, Azteca, 10 men against Mexico along with probably 80,000 Mexico fans vs. 4,000 of us [English fans]. Just absolutely giving it our all and hearing the final whistle beating them. We were in tears."
Glen: "I cried when I walked into the stadium because ever since I can ever remember, I've always wanted to go there. We're talking sort of nearly three hours before the match started. I walk up to the entrance tunnel with tears in my eyes. Then tears in my eyes coming back out [after the match.] It was amazing.
Howard: "That's the best sporting event ever. I don't think that will be beaten ever."
Glen: "That was my World Cup final."
How did the idea of wearing Lions costumes come about?
Howard: "It was dad's idea. It started in Germany at the Euros [2024]. It didn't take a lot to come up with an idea. It wasn't like we planned it. My dad just kind of went, 'I've got three Lions outfits from Amazon,' They were like £50 each, then it just became a thing. We wore it out in Germany for a laugh. It got a bit of coverage. We had quite a few interviews, but obviously the World Cup's a massive stage, so suddenly it's just blown up.
"Luckily, because we're part of the England Supporters Club and because we want the sort of tickets we want, we are behind the goal pretty much every time. So the cameras just seem to... it [the camera] is like a homing beacon almost, it's class. It's been wicked.
"We washed them for the first time [before the semifinal vs. Argentina. We didn't want to, but Miami was that hot that we just couldn't get back in them."
Eve: "It felt like they were never drying properly. I know that sounds so rank, but enough is enough."
Howard: "To be honest, we were contemplating not even washing them because we're thinking, 'right, if we've worn them and they're dirty every time, it might be like good luck.'"