I sold my £3,500 record collection - but still can't afford to go to the World Cup

Robert McCahill has followed Scotland for more than 50 years.

Like many other fans, he was caught up in the post-match euphoria after Steve Clarke's side secured a place at the men's World Cup finals for the first time since 1998.

Thousands of members of the Tartan Army decided they could not miss the trip across the Atlantic. Flights were booked, hotels secured and a lucky few thousand even managed to get their hands on tickets.

It was never going to be cheap - but in recent weeks some fans, like Robert, have realised that the trip is now agonisingly beyond their reach.

After that unforgettable victory over Denmark in November, the 51-year-old remembered the pact he made with his younger brother Stephen after France '98.

"We promised each other that when we were older, we would go to a World Cup together," he said.

They could not have imagined that it would take more than 25 years for the team to reach another finals.

So when the chance finally came around, Robert faced a choice between his two big loves - football and music.

"I had quite a substantial record collection - about 150 vinyl records," he says.

"I managed to sell those and raise about £3,500."

But after booking flights, tickets and accommodation, he realised that he just couldn't afford the trip to the US – which was going to cost about £7,000.

"I collect trainers and Stone Island jackets as well, and I could probably have sold some of those to fund it.

"But I just thought: 'At what point do you think I'm selling everything I own just to fund a fortnight?'

"I've seen people on social media saying that it's just the American way and that you have to respect that - but why do I have to respect that?"

Travel agent Linda Hill, from LAH Travel, says Robert isn't alone in cancelling his booking.

She said: "We have seen some people cancel because they say the excitement was very real at the time of booking but when it came to paying their balances a few weeks ago, they've realised they can't afford it.

"It's not just the cost of travel but what you're going to spend once you get there."

There have been various Fifa ticket sales. Some, but not all, included dynamic pricing.

In recent weeks the cheapest available ticket for Scotland's opening match against Haiti in Boston was $380 - the most expensive being more than $2,000.

But concerns have also been raised about the cost of getting to the match.

A train from central Boston to the stadium is priced at $80 - for those looking to take an official bus, it's $95.

Car park spaces have been scaled back but those looking to drive will be charged $175 to park a car.

"Our job isn't to go to America and tell them how to do their business," SFA president Mike Mulrainey told BBC Scotland.

"The presumption of that is not something I'm comfortable with.

"Our job is how we mitigate the costs for our fans and that's something we're working on."

Fifa said group stage tickets had started at $60 and that its pricing strategy spanned "a broad range of price points and categories, reflecting market demand for each match".

It said host cities had provided low cost rates for travel to and from match venues, and that the prices were often unchanged from their usual rate.

Fifa also said the money generated by the World Cup was reinvested in the development of men's women's and youth football.

Mulrainey also pointed out that Fifa pumped money back into the game worldwide, including in Scotland.

But if that is the case, don't they have an obligation to make sure the game is affordable to ordinary fans?

"Absolutely," he said. "That will be done for the vast majority of those who watch these games through the media, because most people are not going to be at the game."

There are, of course, those who will do anything to make the trip.

Kevin Gall from Milton of Campsie was seven years old at France '98.

He rarely misses a Scotland match and these days he's preparing to become a father.

There's just one problem - his partner Heather McCue is due to give birth on 6 July.

"I think she knows just how much it means to me," says a smiling, if a little sheepish, Kevin.

"I'm very very grateful that's she's so understanding and letting me go to the World Cup when she's ready to pop!"

Holding the baby scan picture closely, Heather thinks carefully about her answer.

"I'm either very understanding or I've lost the plot - it's one of the two," she says.

However, the couple are hoping that Kevin will be home in time for the birth. He's cutting short his trip after Scotland's second game on 19 June, arriving back two weeks before Heather's due date.