Euro 2016: How much does it cost for fans to travel to France to watch the Euros?
For football fans, attending the European Championship will be the experience of a lifetime. From those who plan their trips meticulously to those who take their chances and travel despite not having a much-coveted ticket, fans at a major football tournament form a very varied landscape.
However, as any fan will tell you, being a supporter does not come cheap, particularly when it involves travelling to another country.
According to the bookmaker Ladbrokes, England fans will pay an average £563 – including travel and accommodation – to support Roy Hodgson's men, just £100 more than what the local fans are expected to spend.
Switzerland is the cheapest country to support, with fans having to fork out only £262, while Germany are the second cheapest to follow in France, as Die Mannschaft's faithfuls will part ways with £501 on average.
Four years ago, Republic of Ireland lost all three group games, scoring just once in the process, but their fans' relentlessly raucous support won them plenty of plaudits off the pitch.
This year, approximately 100,000 fans are expected to travel to France from the Emerald Isle and will, on average, pay just over £600 for the experience. That might not seem cheap but it pales in comparison with the costs facing fans from Portugal, Poland and Slovakia, who will all have to pay over £1,600.
Croatia, Hungary and Turkey will see their fans travelling at an average cost of between £2,100 and £2,300, while Albanians will spend a whopping £4,898 to support their team in their first ever major tournament. In other words, travelling to France to watch one of Albania's fixtures will cost the average Albanian the equivalent of five months wages.
However, spare a thought for Ukraine fans. Co-host four years ago, when they were knocked out by England, they will have to pay an eye-watering £8,020 to follow their team all the way to France.
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