World Cup 2022: Football fanatic saves £1,300 in coins to pay for Qatar trip

A man paid for his trip to the World Cup in Qatar by saving more than £1,300 over the course of two years, collecting five and 10 pesos in a jar.

School teacher Jorge Aguilar, 25, had dreamed of attending a football World Cup since he was a child, but had to find a way to save and make the dream a reality.

Jorge began collecting the coins in October 2020, and in two years, managed to save £1,371 (32,200 pesos) - the equivalent of four months salary. In total, he collected 1,790 10 peso coins and 2,864 five peso coins.

Video footage captures the moment Jorge opened the jar containing the savings that guaranteed the trip, plus expenses.

Jorge, from Durango, Mexico, said: “It took a lot of work not to spend the coins I had.

“It was really hard not to spend the money on treats and things like that.

“As far as I know this is every coin that has passed through my hands for the last two years.

“I was nervous, because I had no idea how much would be in the jug. I would count the coins when I first started, but I quickly lost track. The last I knew it was 12,000 pesos.

“Then when I saw the full jug, I was very surprised. It was so heavy. I couldn’t lift it.

“When we emptied it out I was very happy. It looked like so much money.”

Jorge arrived in Qatar on November 22 and, so far, it has been living up to his expectations.

He said: “Being here is very good. I’ve seen this before, but only on the TV. In person it is very different.

“The atmosphere is great, inside and out of the stadium. I’m glad I did this.

“Everyone is very united and together, even not having alcohol is fine because I barely drink.”