Saturday 14 February saw Ireland play against Italy in Dublin, with the home team winning 20-13, as well as Scotland vs England in Edinburgh, where Scotland proved victorious with a 21-20 win.
Wales then played France in Cardiff on Sunday 15 February. France took the win with the final score coming in at 12-54.
Lager dominated on-trade sales over the course of the weekend, accounting for 52% of draught volumes, though rate of sales decline year-on-year, insight from real time market intelligence firm Oxford Partnership revealed.
Sharper declines
Molson Coors owned Carling was the most sold brand during the second round of the 2026 Six Nations, with Foster’s and Guinness also proving popular.
Cider and ale delivered modest growth of 1% and 0.9% respectively, while craft beer saw sharper declines, falling by more than 9%. Stout increased its overall share to 17.3%.
In total, 11.5m pints were sold in pubs across the UK over the weekend. The average pub served 351 pints across the Saturday and Sunday, generating approximately £1,817 in draught revenue per venue.
Despite the event delivering strong volumes, rate of sale declined by 1% compared with the equivalent Six Nations weekend in 2025 and 6.4% against a typical weekend benchmark.
Sunday was particularly affected, with rate of sale falling 13.4% compared with average Sunday trading, reflecting lower engagement around the Wales vs France fixture.
Important opportunities
Outlet performance varied, with bars delivering the highest rate of sale at 190 pints per day, up 5.7% year-on-year, while community locals experienced more modest declines, broadly in line with overall market trends.
The opening weekend of the tournament, Thursday 5 February to Saturday 7 February, saw 11.4m pints sold, with stout proving the standout category and footfall up 4% compared with 2025.
Oxford Partnership CEO Alison Jordan said: “Six Nations weekends remain some of the most important trading opportunities in the UK on-trade calendar. While rate of sale softened slightly this weekend, higher footfall and longer dwell times demonstrate strong consumer engagement.
“Operators with strong sports credentials continue to benefit most, particularly where they create compelling live viewing experiences.”
