The Euro 24 football tournament has delivered a major boost to drinks sales for many pubs, bars and suppliers, with daily uplifts of as much as 78%. Here is CGA by NIQ’s exclusive analysis of eight of the biggest matchdays for the On Premise.
1 Scotland v Germany, Friday 14 June (total sales uplift against the equivalent day’s average of 2024: +3%)
The first game of the tournament for the home nations ended in disappointment for Scotland. But it did at least deliver a modest 3% increase on sales compared to the Friday average of 2024 so far. As with all games, the upswing for venues screening live sports (+8%) was higher than those that don’t (-3%).
2 England v Serbia, Sunday 16 June (+29%)
With a much higher number of venues it was no surprise that the Euros effect was much greater in England than in Scotland. While this game was somewhat drab for fans, it delivered a 29% uplift‚ rising to 37% in venues screening games.
3 England v Denmark, Thursday 20 June (+19%)
The upswing for England’s second group stage game was lower at 19%—not helped by the Thursday timing. Venues screening games benefited by 39%, but those that didn’t lost 11% of average Thursday sales.
4 England v Slovenia, Tuesday 25 June (+78%)
England’s third game delivered by far the biggest increase at 78%, and venues showing the match more than doubled drinks sales at 105%, as fans celebrated progress to the knock-out stages of the tournament.
5 England v Slovakia, Sunday 30 June (+15%)
A 5pm kick-off time muted the impact of this game on drinks sales, which rose only 15% on the 2024 Sunday average. The prospect of work the following morning also put a cap on post-game celebrations.
6 England v Switzerland, Saturday 6 July (-10%)
England’s quarter-final against Switzerland was the only matchday to deliver a negative performance overall, with sales down 10% compared to the average Saturday. With Saturday traditionally the busiest day of the week for the On Premise, large uplifts difficult to achieve. Even venues screening games only achieved a 2% uplift.
7 England v Netherlands, Wednesday 10 July (+30%)
England’s thrilling victory over the Netherlands brought a 30% jump in drinks sales, rising to +62% in sports venues.
8 England v Spain, Sunday 14 July (+29%)
England making it to the final and the subsequent 29% uplift in sales (61% in venues screening sport) will have lifted the spirits of operators and suppliers regardless of which team they were cheering for. As is usually the case in big tournaments, LAD sales felt the biggest benefit as sales soared 49% above the average Sunday in 2024 so far. Spirits (up 44%) also did well, though cocktails (down 10%) and wine (down 21%) were both negative.
Violetta Njunina, CGA by NIQ client director, said:
“Big tournaments like Euro 24 can be game-changing for brands and venues that screen games, and these numbers show the full scale of the benefit. Operators and suppliers that align themselves best with big sporting events like the Euros, understand sales patterns and craft compelling promotions and activations to lure consumers off the sofa have a big competitive advantage in generating spend and loyalty—not just during events like the Euros but throughout the year.”
