How Much Do Brits Spend on Beer During Football Matches?

With the 2025 FA Cup Final fast approaching, football fans across the UK are gearing up for a thrilling day of action. Teams will be cheered on, viewers will watch from home, and pubs will no doubt be filled with passionate supporters.

In other words? This year’s event will be a huge opportunity for hospitality businesses across the country to flourish.

Take UEFA Euro 2024, for example. We estimated that Brits drank 604.5 million pints throughout the 4 weeks the tournament ran for and spent a total of over £2.4 billion on beers. This figure places the average at about 8 pints drunk daily and £74.25 spent per person during the event, signalling a significant spike in pub-going and beer consumption. 

These estimates could have a considerable effect on the hospitality industry, so we’re back to look at how you can maximise your profits to make the FA Cup Final a winning occasion for your patrons and business.

Brits set to drink over 1.7 million pints on the day of the final

Brits set to drink over 1.7 million pints on the day of the final

With the stage set ahead of the 2025 FA Cup Final, fans across the country will be tuning in to watch Crystal Palace and Manchester City battle it out for the chance to raise the prestigious silverware.

As the excitement builds, we’ve crunched the numbers to predict just how many pints fans will drink during the match. 

With millions of spectators set to watch the game at home and in pubs, over 8 million tuned in for the final last year between the two Manchester clubs, we estimate that 1,720,000 pints will be drunk during the final. That’s a lot of beer, and it’s a number that shows just how much of an impact the match will have on the UK’s drinking habits.

To get this figure, we looked at the average amount of beer consumed per person per day in the UK and multiplied it by the predicted viewership of the FA Cup Final. The result? A whole lot of pints ready to be pulled in pubs across the country.

UK predicted to spend nearly £7million on beer

Now, let’s talk money. With nearly two million pints expected to be drunk, we also worked out how much this is going to cost. 

We’re anticipating that the total spend on beer could hit £6,931,600, which is a massive boost for the hospitality industry. We arrived at this figure by multiplying the predicted total number of pints drunk by the average price of a pint in the UK in 2025. 

Given the difficulties the sector has seen over the last few years — like reduced business rates relief and increasing costs, which have led to struggling profit margins and ultimately 4,078 hospitality closures over 2024 — these figures show just how much the FA Cup Final could be a welcome opportunity for trading and revenue.  

The final will be played on neutral soil at Wembley Stadium, which will have a predicted 30,000 ticket allocation for each club’s fans. As of 2025, a pint of beer at Wembley will set fans back roughly £7.85. 

This means that visitors at Wembley could be spending a total of £471,000 if every Crystal Palace and Manchester City fan buys a pint — we’ve disregarded the estimated 30,000 tickets which will go to corporate guests, many of whom will enjoy complimentary refreshments. Even if only half of all the club fans purchased a single pint, it would still accumulatively total £235,500.

With an estimated 30,000 Mancunians making the journey down south to cheer on their team, they might be shocked to discover that the price of a pint of beer at the London stadium is 57% higher than the average up north. takepayments data found that the average cost of a pint of beer in Manchester is £5.

How will this impact the hospitality industry?

It’s no secret that the nation’s interest in football has a significant impact on people, whether you’re a fan, player, or even business owner. 

A study by Santander found that 71% of people are happier on the day their team plays, and four out of five people feel that the sport brings them closer to their loved ones. This increased positive sentiment can then trickle down to have an impact on the pubs, sports bars, and restaurants that they gather in to watch a game. 

During major sporting events like the FA Cup Final, fans might order more drinks, but there’s also a high chance that they’ll stick around for longer, too. A study found that almost nine out of ten will stay longer when a live game is screened to enjoy the full pre-game and post-match experience. This could create a longer window for businesses to boost their revenue.

Of course, the money spent on food and drinks will flow directly into hospitality businesses, boosting the economy at a time when the industry is still recovering from tough financial challenges.

On top of that, venues could expect higher-than-usual orders of beers, snacks, and even more premium products, as larger groups gather in pubs to watch the game. 

How small businesses can prepare for the FA Cup Final

As the FA Cup Final excitement begins to mount, hospitality businesses must be well-prepared to handle the influx of customers. We’re sharing our key tips to ensure your business meets customer expectations and is ready for the big day.

1. Stock up and plan your inventory

It shouldn’t be a surprise that peak times will be busier than usual, so it's crucial to anticipate your inventory needs so you can be prepared with the right stock. Review your sales data from previous sporting events to gauge the amount of beer and other beverages you might need. You might also want to have extra stock for popular brands, or customer favourites, to make sure the worst doesn’t happen: that you run out mid-match.

It’s also a good idea to keep a selection of food items in stock, such as snacks and quick bites, to keep patrons sated as they support their team. Offering match-themed food specials or meal deals alongside drinks can also boost sales.

2. Staff wisely

With the expected influx of fans, ensuring you have enough staff on hand is critical. Make sure to have a team that can handle busy periods and offer excellent service, even during peak times. You might want to consider hiring additional temporary staff to help manage the expected crowd and maintain a smooth, enjoyable atmosphere.

In addition to quantity, focus on quality customer service. Fans are there to enjoy the experience, so making sure your staff are well-trained to handle large groups, process orders quickly, and manage customer expectations is key to keeping them coming back for more.

3. Get your payment methods in order

Customers will no doubt not want to miss a moment of the action, so quick and seamless payment processing is essential. And that translates into having a swift and efficient POS system that can handle an influx of transactions. Consider upgrading to a more advanced system that supports contactless payments, mobile wallets, and quick card transactions to minimise wait times. This will benefit your business during the FA Cup competition and in the long term, as it could give your service a competitive edge and keep it up-to-date with the latest payment trends and tech.

Stay ahead of the action with takepayments

Here at takepayments, we make payments easy — especially when the action is fast and the crowds are large. As the FA Cup Final approaches, make sure your business is ready to handle the rush with our advanced payment solutions, whether you need a card machine, POS system, or online payment solution.

Contact our team today to find out how we can help upgrade your payments to ensure your venue is ready to score big on match day.

Methodology

We used data from Statista to understand the average number of beers drunk per capita per day. We multiplied these figures by predicted viewership to calculate our estimation for how much beer may be consumed throughout Euro 2024 and the 2025 FA Cup Final. We then applied a figure for the average cost of a beer in the UK and projected these figures to estimate total spending. For regional spending, we used an average cost figure per major city from

Jodie Wilkinson

Head of Strategic Partnerships