Late-night fixtures, extended licensing hours and strong fan attendance throughout the competition drove the sales boost in pubs and bars.
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Across the tournament, spending uplift in hospitality venues was also 9% higher on average compared to Euro 2024.
‘Much-needed boost’
“The World Cup has given the hospitality industry a much-needed boost after a period of prolonged pressure,” says Charlie Ashworth, head of data and insights at Dojo.
England versus Norway on Saturday 11 July drove the biggest uptick, with full-day pub spending increasing by an average of 23% across the UK.
The ‘pre-extra time peak’ at midnight generated the highest overall spending increase of the night, rising 152% higher than the previous week as fans geared up for the additional 30 minutes of action.
Spending also shot up by 125% following the final whistle as fans celebrated progression to the semi-finals.
The semi-final, versus Argentina on Wednesday 15 July, also drove one of the biggest spend boosts of the tournament, with pub and bar spending across the UK increasing by an average of 78% compared to a typical Wednesday.
“This is welcome news and venues will hope people keep coming out to eat and drink as the warm weather continues,” Ashworth adds.
Extra pints
The sales uplift was also reflected in fresh figures from the British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA), which estimated pubs poured 30m extra pints over the tournament compared with a normal trading period.
The BBPA said the additional footfall and busy trading across England and Scotland fixtures delivered about £150m in extra pub sales.
It added the World Cup had provided the strongest football related boost for pubs in recent years, helped by late night fixtures, extended licensing hours and England’s run to the semi final.
- This story was originally publish on The Morning Advertiser’s sister site, MCA, here.
