# ‘Weekday games were amazing’: pubs toast extra £150m in World Cup sales

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/weekday-games-were-amazing-pubs-toast-extra-150m-in-world-cup-sales/
- Published: 2026-07-26T08:00:05+00:00
- Updated: 2026-07-26T08:12:16+00:00
- Original publisher: The Guardian (publisher lean: Left)
- Original article: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/jul/26/pubs-extra-sales-world-cup-england-football
- Topics: Art, Business, Culture, Football, Sport, UK, World

## Key points

- World Cup and late openings drove England's biggest pub sales boost in years
- Pubs sold 30m extra pints, adding £150m in sales overall
- Boost coincided with Andy Burnham's £100m aid package and rates cut

## Summary

Pubs across England enjoyed their best football-related sales boost in recent years thanks to England's run to the semi-final of an expanded World Cup, combined with extended late-night opening hours. The uplift, confirmed by multiple industry sources, outstripped that seen during previous tournaments including England's run to the Euro 2024 final, offering rare relief to a hospitality sector that had been closing at a rate of one pub a day in England and Wales.

The British Beer & Pubs Association said pubs sold 30m extra pints over the tournament, generating £150m in added sales, while payments provider Dojo recorded a 16% rise in sales overall, 9% better than during Euro 2024. The standout moment was England's early-morning match against Mexico, when sales almost doubled, aided by pubs being allowed to trade through the night. The boost coincided with a £100m government aid package announced by Andy Burnham, including a 20% cut in business rates, though publicans noted that quieter days between matches and rising costs, such as extra screens and equipment, offset some of the gains.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.