A Dallas shooting range has become an unexpected stop for England supporters attending the 2026 World Cup. The DFW Gun Range and Academy has seen a steady flow of international visitors since the tournament began, with British fans arriving in larger numbers this week.
Staff member Carlos Castaneda said the range had hosted fans from multiple countries. "The last few days have been hectic — the Netherlands, the Japanese and now the British," he said. "It's fun — it's like a little conga line of multi-cultures. It feels like we're hosting a very, very big get together."
Castaneda said the pattern shifted as the week progressed. "Saturday and Sunday there was a lot of Dutch and a lot of Japanese, then into Monday we started seeing a lot more British," he said. "But today it's been nothing but British."
Matthew Connell, 28, from Preston, was among the England fans who visited. He said the range was packed when he arrived. "It's full of English fans here. You can tell everyone's just come down here to try it out because it's something we don't get in England and it's really good," he said.
Connell said the scale of the Dallas area had spread fans out across the region rather than concentrating them in one spot. "There's so much to do and it's so spread out here and Dallas is such a massive place — everyone's just all over the place," he said. He added that the experience had reinforced how different American culture feels in person. "Even though you look at America and think it's quite similar to England, it is a massive change in culture," he said. "The size of the cars being one thing, the big SUVs they drive. And the whole gun culture — like here, the way they all talk about it, it's just so normal for them and it's like, wow."
On the shooting itself, Connell said the experience was different from what he expected. "You quickly realise that it's a lot different to the video games, all the little intricacies with it, but yeah, it's really good — I'd recommend it to anyone over here," he said. When asked whether he would want similar firearm access back home in Britain, he was direct. "No, I think we're good without them," he said.
Castaneda declined to compare how different nationalities performed at the range. "There's no comparison, everyone starts somewhere, there's no judgment," he said. He was more forthcoming about the English fans as customers. "But in terms of personality, as customers you guys have been nothing but phenomenal," he said. "Very, very personable people, very enjoyable — a lot of questions."
Castaneda confirmed that nearly all of the foreign visitors had told staff they were in Texas for the World Cup.