Analysis of more than 8,500 pubs across the country by real time market intelligence firm Oxford Partnership showed the third round of the competition provided a major boost for the on-trade.
Across the weekend, 12.7m pints of draught beer and cider were poured, generating an average income of £2,002 per outlet.
On average, pubs sold 387 pints across the Saturday and Sunday, with bars and local pubs delivering the strongest performance.
Stout was the standout performer, with rate of sale increasing by 7.9% year-on-year, accounting for 18.1% of total draught volumes.
Strong performance
Lager remained the largest category overall, accounting for 51.9% of volume, but its share declined slightly compared to last year.
Bars achieved the highest rate of sale at 204 pints per day, while locals also saw steady growth, highlighting the continued importance of community pubs during major sporting occasions.
Average rate of sale was up 2.3% compared to the same weekend in 2025, while total footfall rose by 9.9%, driven by a five minute uptick in dwell time.
In addition, pubs showing live sport benefited from dwell times that were on average 20 minutes longer than venues without live coverage.
Sunday 22 February, when France won 33-8 against Italy, showed a particularly strong performance, with footfall up 22.7% compared to the equivalent day last year. Saturday saw England lose 21-42 to Ireland and Scotland triumph against Wales with a score of 23-26.
Meaningful impact
It comes as more than 11m pints were estimated to have been sold during each of the tournament’s first two weekends.
Oxford Partnership CEO Alison Jordan said: “The Six Nations continues to be one of the most powerful drivers of performance in the UK on trade.
“What stands out this year is not just the increase in footfall, but the improvement in dwell time, which is critical for driving spend and overall profitability.
“We are also seeing clear shifts in consumer behaviour, with stout gaining share and community pubs and bars performing especially strongly.
“These insights underline the importance of live sport in bringing consumers into pubs and creating meaningful commercial impact for operators.”
