Extra £30m worth of pints will be sold in UK pubs during England semi-final

The UK economy could receive the massive money boost from pints bought during England’s clash with Croatia in the World Cup semi-finals, it has been predicted.

Football fans will buy an extra 10m pints during the match tomorrow evening, according to the British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA).

The predictions come from Barclaycard data, which showed pubs benefited from the tournament with spending increasing by a third on England’s first group match on Monday 18 June against Tunisia.

Spending in pubs was influenced by the start of the World Cup, with an increase by 9.5% in June, when compared with June 2017, the bank also noted.

The BBPA has predicted £30m worth of extra pints, compared to a non-World Cup July, have already been sold from all of England’s matches so far.

Wednesday’s match (11 July) could also see an extra tax upturn of £4.5m, following predicted windfalls of £7.2m across the three group games against Tunisia, Panama, and Belgium; £2.7m in the Colombia match; and £3.6m in last Saturday’s game against Sweden.

BBPA chief executive Brigid Simmonds called the economic boost “fantastic news for both English football and the great British pub”.

“When it comes to watching the World Cup, only being at the game itself can compare with being in the pub.

“With the England team doing us proud and reaching their first semi-final in 28 years, fans will continue to pack out their local to cheer on Gareth Southgate and the boys,” she added.

Barclaycard director Esme Harwood said: "As the warm weather continues and World Cup fever sets in, it's clear many households are prioritising fun in the sun while making the most of the summer's best experiences."