Why Belgium superfan Adam El Manawy is driving across America

Adam El Manawy's car is called 'The Beast' — a 1982 BMW 3 Series coupe that he rebuilt after it was falling apart. An actor, director and filmmaker who counts Jean-Claude Van Damme among his collaborators, El Manawy is first and foremost a devoted Belgium fan; he drove from Brussels to Qatar in 2022 and has now shipped the car to Baltimore ahead of a coast-to-coast trip for the World Cup.

His plan is deliberately loose. He booked a one-way flight to the United States, has money for gas and basics but no hotels, and is taking two Belgium jerseys for himself and four to give away. He holds tickets to Belgium's two group games and every later stage, and says he will leave Baltimore this week to reach Seattle by June 15 for the opener against Egypt, then be in Los Angeles six days later for the Iran match.

El Manawy's trips began with Brazil 2014 and continued through Russia 2018, where long train rides and cheap seats were part of the experience.

United States, Baltimore

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