Despite the long-standing rivalry between the teams, which meet in a last 16 clash at the Free State Stadium, everyone was basking in the glow of South Africa's feel-good World Cup and had traveller's tales to share.
In the Reyneke Park camp site outside Bloemfontein, German and English flags hung from tents and camper vans.
"They started drinking beer early but it's a nice atmosphere. All are well behaved, no trouble," site owner Les Reyneke said. The bar had stayed open until five o'clock that morning.
"The last two days have been crazy. The phone didn't stop ringing for five hours yesterday," Reyneke said.
"Cape Town was good, Port Elizabeth was good, Rustenburg was a disaster. They couldn't cope. Bloemfontein is...different. There's not much here."
Many England fans had exchanged tickets with United States' fans after the Americans topped the group, he said. Some had lost money on pre-booked flights and rooms.
"The people are great. The white people aren't so friendly as the black people though," Falvi said.
"It was my fault. I was as drunk as a skunk and I was told not to go there. It could happen in London."
They were also scornful of Wayne Rooney's criticism of England fans for booing a dismal performance against Algeria.
"We've been working 24 hours a day to come here. All we're asking is 90 minutes of work," said Darren Gelding, a 40-year-old postman.
"Unfortunately we're outnumbered now," Zundel joked. "But there's a lot of South Africans who support Germany. My impression is that the crowd here will be with Germany."
It would be a tough game, Lueth said, adding: "We'll
