Kicking off on June 11, the FIFA World Cup will be hosted by three nations: the US, Canada and Mexico.
For soccer-mad Europe, this poses a challenge. For a typical kick off time at 3pm ET (in New York, Toronto or Mexico City, for example) that means a game that starts at 10pm in London or 11pm in Paris.
Some matches are earlier (starting at a more reasonable 8pm or 9pm in Europe). But, conversely, for a match on the West Coast, a game that starts at 6pm PT (in, for example, Los Angeles, Seattle or San Francisco) means 2am in London and 3am in Paris.
Pubs usually expect a sizeable chunk in sales in over the World Cup: but will it be the case this year?
Shifting the celebrations forward
Yes, says Alison Jordan, CEO at market intelligence business The Oxford Partnership.... if brands and bars think carefully about how to create the right occasion at the right time.
“The opportunity remains very real, but the shape of that opportunity is changing,” she said.
“Our research shows the biggest commercial window is now before kick-off, rather than after the final whistle, especially with 9pm and 10pm matches pushing occasions later into the evening.”
To that end, venues need to think carefully about what they’re offering consumers in the hours before a match starts.
Later kick-offs present an additional challenge: on weekday nights, many fans may decide against going out all together and watch matches from home.
That means that operators need to think about offering a highly compelling experience to draw them to venues in the first place.
Beer sales peak before kick-off
This is not just a theory. Data from England’s 2024 Euro fixtures, alongside a nationally representative survey of UK consumers, shows that sales around matches already typically skew earlier in the evening.
Assessing the data, The Oxford Partnership found that the strongest sales period already occurs before matches even begin.
Beer volume peaks in the one to two hours before kick-off, remains relatively stable during the match, but then falls off sharply after the game ends.
Meanwhile, four out of five venue-goers plan to arrive before kick off. And many plan to soak up the atmosphere for an hour or two before the game starts (36%).
With late kick-offs, catering for pre-match drinks just becomes all the more important.
Providing an experience
But it’s not just about late matches. The insights into consumer behaviour also mirror a shift in how people and drinking and socialising.
Consumers are already looking for experience-led occasions. They’re also drinking less and - with wallets under pressure - may think twice about going out in the first place.
But the World Cup offers a unique opportunity to bring people back into the hospitality sector. Around three in 10 consumers remain unsure if they’ll watch matches in pubs and bars or stay at home: meaning their choice can be influenced by the right experience.
“Operators who focus on earlier arrival, atmosphere, fast service and creating a strong social occasion will still see very strong trading during the tournament,” said Jordan.
