With just days to go until the Brazil World Cup begins, we're all wondering whether England will make it past the group stages and bring the cup home this year.
If travel habits provide an indication of the England team's chances, the outlook is hugely positive for Roy's boys. Searches for hotels in Rio have rocketed by 528% for the period of the final, suggesting that Brits are betting on a repeat of England's 1966 World Cup win.
England fans are known for their devout support and, in the Hotels.com 'Confidence League', they are among the most positive nations globally when it comes to their team making it to the final. In fact, only the Russians and Mexicans are more confident than England supporters.
Around 300,000 tourists are expected to travel to Brazil specifically for the World Cup according to Brazilian Ministry for Tourism and it promises to be a fantastic event. As the tournament draws closer, the excitement amongst fans is clearly building; we saw searches for hotels in England's World Cup cities shoot up when the England team was announced on 12th May. Belo Horizonte, where England is playing Costa Rica, saw a rise in searches across Hotels.com of 680% the week that the team was announced, showing that fans are particularly keen to see Lampard and Rooney play there. Equally, Rio saw a rise of 493% and Manaus a 409% increase in fans searching for hotels for the first round matches.
With competition for accommodation fierce, many fans feared they would struggle to find rooms and be priced-out of visiting the World Cup cities this year. However, even during the upcoming group stages, British fans can still find great value accommodation. Rooms are still available in Sao Paulo for £43 per night for England's match with Uruguay on 19th June, less than half the price of a £90 England shirt!
A passion for football is deeply ingrained in Brazil's celebratory culture. So, whilst we may not be certain that Hodgson's squad will win the tournament, one thing for sure is that Brazil 2014 promises to be a World Cup to remember.