World Cup fever really has hit us all at once, and as we prepare for England to kick off their first game against Croatia on Wednesday (17 June), the vibes are only getting stronger. Now, new research carried out by Veezu, the UK’s largest and fastest-growing taxi and private hire vehicle (PHV) business, has revealed that Mancunians are set to be among the biggest supporters of England in the World Cup, with six in 10 residents planning to head out to watch the Three Lions’ opening game.
The research found that an estimated 288,000 of the city’s residents are planning a night out to watch England take on Croatia on Wednesday (June 17). Across the UK this sits at one in four, which is still pretty impressive considering late kick off times – showing the English are ready to get into sporting spirit.
Meanwhile, a third of those in the city will head to a pub, bar or fan zone to watch game one, while three in 10 Manchester residents will avoid the crowds to head to friends and relatives houses for game one.
Which other cities will head out for the World Cup?
Manchester took the top spot as the busiest city, while Sheffield followed closely behind with 32%. Surprisingly, Cardiff came in third, with over three in 10 Welsh residents heading out to watch England – however they didn’t say who they were backing…
Other cities that can expect big numbers of fans to hit the town include Leeds (28%), London (27%) and Nottingham and Birmingham (both 26%).
Across the tournament, nearly half of those surveyed said they will head out to watch at least one game during the tournament, with many revealing they are more excited about this World Cup than the last thanks to the return to a typical summer tournament from the winter version in 2022. And while Manchester residents are planning to support Thomas Tuchel’s side, only 36% believe that England will win the World Cup… we like the realism.
Nationally, this number was four in 10, and perhaps not surprisingly it’s the younger generations who are most confident that football is coming home, maybe without as many memories of near misses and heartaches as the older generations. Almost 60% of Millennials and 56% of Gen Z Brits are backing England to lift the trophy this summer, compared to just 27% of those aged 55 and over.
Where would Brits like to be if England bring the World Cup home?
Asked where they’d like to be if England, or the team they’re supporting, were to win it, a quarter of fans in Manchester revealed they don’t want to be at home and would prefer to be sharing the moment with others, with over one in five favouring the pub as their venue of choice.
Like previous tournaments, this summer’s World Cup is set to be a hugely social affair as a quarter of those surveyed say they are most looking forward to socialising with family and friends as they watch.
Around three in 10 adults are also excited to see the ‘increased community spirit’ across the country, while one in five are excited for the ‘buzzy atmosphere’ set to take over pubs up and down the UK. And we can ensure that vibes will continue to be high here in Manchester.
