Hit the bar! UK pubs serve 5.5m extra pints during World Cup so far

England’s group-stage matches in the World Cup have been a boon for UK pubs, which have poured 5.5m more pints of draught beer and cider than usual. Saturday’s clash against Panama was the biggest trading occasion of the tournament so far, with more than 8m pints served. Venues are expecting higher sales to continue as England progress to the knockout stage , starting with the game against the Democratic Republic of the Congo on Wednesday. Data from the market researchers the Oxford Partnership and the Dojo payments system, which provides digital payments to more than 110,000 hospitality venues, shows how the UK’s thirst for pints grows during World Cup matches. Saturday’s sales in UK hospitality venues were 20.9% higher than on a typical Saturday in June 2025, and 13% above average Saturday trading levels seen so far this year. Charlie Ashworth, the head of data and insights at Dojo, said: “England’s World Cup campaign is proving to be a real boost for hospitality businesses. We’ve now seen spending at pubs and bars remain consistently elevated across the tournament, with Saturday night’s victory over Panama delivering another surge in trade.” A total on 8.6m pints were sold in UK pubs on Saturday – about 1.1m more than usual. Photograph: Scott Heppell/AFP/Getty Images England v Croatia on 17 June generated thirst for an estimated 2m additional pints, with sales up 55.5% versus normal trading. …