Scotland’s World Cup Win Drives 24% Jump in Pub Sales Despite Unsociable 2am Kick-Off

The opening weekend of the FIFA World Cup 2026 generated more than 12.1 million pints of draught beer and cider sales across Great Britain’s pubs, with Scotland’s victory over Haiti providing a significant boost to trading north of the border.

New analysis from The Oxford Partnership and Beverage Metrics reveals that pubs sold an average of 379 pints per outlet across the weekend of 13-14 June, generating approximately £2,082 in revenue per venue. Overall Rate of Sale (RoS) increased by 1.6% compared with an average June weekend in 2025, equating to an additional six pints per pub.

While the national uplift was modest, Scotland’s involvement in the tournament created a much stronger localised impact. Scottish pubs sold an additional 87 pints per outlet compared with the June benchmark, comfortably outperforming Wales, which recorded an uplift of 39 pints per pub. England, whose tournament campaign had yet to begin, saw sales fall by 14 pints per outlet versus the same comparison period.

The impact of Scotland’s 1-0 victory over Haiti was particularly evident on Sunday. Scottish venues recorded a 52.4% increase in Rate of Sale compared with a typical June Sunday, while Saturday trading was up 7.4%, demonstrating the powerful influence of national team involvement on pub performance.

However, the report also highlights the importance of fixture timing. Despite Scotland’s victory, the Sunday match kicked off at 2am UK time, limiting the scale of the national trading opportunity compared with Scotland’s Euro 2024 fixtures, which generated significantly higher sales volumes.

Consumer engagement remained strong throughout the weekend. Footfall increased by 2.5% year-on-year, with rural locations recording the largest uplift at 5.4%. Consumers also spent longer in venues, with average dwell time reaching 154 minutes, up 6.2% compared with the same weekend last year. Rural pubs again led the way, recording an 8.4% increase in dwell time.

Lager remained the dominant drinks category, accounting for 57.7% of all draught volume sold, with an average Rate of Sale of 219 pints per outlet. World Lager and Core Lager continued to drive category performance, although Stout was the standout growth segment, posting a 6.6% increase versus the average June weekend. Ale also outperformed the market, rising 2.4%.
At brand level, Tennent’s was the weekend’s top-performing draught beer, benefiting from its strong Scottish footprint. The brand recorded a 31.3% increase in Rate of Sale versus the June benchmark, underlining the impact of Scotland’s participation in the tournament.

Alison Jordan, Chief Executive Officer at The Oxford Partnership, said: “The opening weekend demonstrates both the opportunity and the limitations that major sporting tournaments create for the On Trade. Scotland’s involvement clearly drove significant engagement among supporters, with pubs benefiting from increased sales, footfall and dwell time.

“However, the relatively modest national uplift also highlights how important fixture timing is. Even the most passionate fans can only do so much at two o’clock in the morning.

“With England and Wales still to play key fixtures, operators will be hoping that more accessible kick-off times translate into even stronger trading opportunities as the tournament progresses.”