Booking and Reservations

World Cup Data Insights to Maximise Matchdays.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is set to be one of the biggest sporting events of the year - a six-week cultural moment expected to break global viewership records and bring venues a 30–40% trade surge on matchdays (UKHospitality).

Get your hands on DesignMyNight’s World Cup 2026 Data Insights to better understand consumer intent, booking trends and ordering habits around the World Cup, helping your venue to maximise revenue and fill every seat this summer.

Download full insights

Reservations

Sport converts into footfall reliably

World Cup bookings have a no-show average of 1.12% in comparison to an average of 3.67% for traditional bookings, demonstrating that sport converts into footfall reliably.

These bookings have an average duration of 180 minutes, with almost a third (31%) of guests settling in for a three-hour stay. And it’s worth noting that 28.6% stayed for longer than that – so, prepare to be in it for the long-haul and allocate booking durations within your booking system accordingly.

Reserved tables drive higher revenue

Guests who reserve a table aren't just more reliable; they spend more.

Reserved tables saw an average spend of £133.44 per visit, highlighting the importance of encouraging pre-booked seating and ticketed events over walk-ins or general admission.

Take advantage of post-booking build-up

Almost half of bookings are made 4-7 days before the desired match (44.7%), with 26.6% arriving 1-3 days out and 6.1% same‑day. Use the time between booking and arrival to:

Time reminder emails to minimise no-shows,

Send out pre‑order prompts that allow you to streamline preparation while boosting average transaction value,

Use dynamic inventory releases to reserve stock based on availability and priority, so that no guest is disappointed.

Size matters (but not as much as labelling)

Most bookings are for 2‑tops (21.8%) and 3–4s (23.3%), with larger formations much rarer. It’s key to prioritise mid-size tables while keeping a few flexible, larger areas free for walk-ins and last-minute large enquiries.

Where the booking options have specific labelling, “table” is referenced far more often than “area”, pointing to a strong preference for reserved seating with guaranteed sight‑lines versus standing or general admission areas.

Maximise revenue and fill every seat this summer by understanding consumer intent, booking trends and ordering habits around the World Cup

Download the full report

Ordering

Highlight your highflyers

Across the 2024 Euros, the average beer spend was £13.40 across 17,819 orders, food spend was £27.58 across 4,519 orders and wine spend was £19.76 across 2,155 orders.

While food and wine deliver a significantly higher average spend per order, beer is the dominant category by volume. Capitalise on this insight and offer special beer bundles that your team is automatically prompted to upsell within your EPoS and handheld terminals.

Convenience drives sales

82% of fans would rather miss a drinks order than miss a goal. That’s why using a self-serve ordering option, like a digital tab system or online ordering via QR code, is a proven way to lift average transaction value. Guests never need to move away from a screen while you still capture every order impulse.

And with inbuilt smart upselling, you can increase spend per head by up to 30%.

The Home Nation effect

Home Nation matchdays generate a measurable uplift in customer spend. Guests spent £2.71 more on Home Nation matchdays (£24.85 vs £22.14 on non-Home Nation days), a meaningful difference at scale.

Plan stock, staffing and menu promotions around Home Nation fixtures to fully capitalise on this heightened demand.

Ticketing

High demand = ticketing opportunity

The World Cup is the biggest event in football, with the 2026 tournament expected to break global viewership records. So, it’s the perfect opportunity to adopt ticketed events and capitalise on demand. The average ticket price for World Cup 2022 events listed on Tonic Ticketing was £28, which was 60% higher than average ticket prices for the 2024 Euros.

Drive average transaction value with add-ons

51% of customers will pre-order if there is a special deal on, so make it easy for them by offering drinks packages and add-ons when purchasing their event ticket.

The average transaction value for World Cup 2022 events was £51.48, which was 50% higher than for the 2024 Euros, with the most popular additional items being buckets or jugs of beer. One venue even made an additional £1,000 in product sales at the event ticket checkout.

Marketing

Prioritise atmosphere and visibility

41% of consumers say that the atmosphere is their top priority when booking a venue for viewing the World Cup, 37% say that big screens are their second priority, and 64% say that a poor view of the match would ruin their experience.

So, it’s important for operators to prepare their venue to accommodate these priorities and feature them in marketing efforts to capture consumer demand and gain repeat visitors.

Go where the search demand is

DesignMyNight’s hospitality discovery platform sees 142,000 sports searches per year, 54,000 football searches per year, and in 2022, they saw 750,000 World Cup searches.

If your venue appears in these searches, it massively amplifies your brand awareness, driving more eyes, more engagement, and ultimately more booking conversions and ticket sales for events like the World Cup.

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of fans plan to book a venue or buy tickets for World Cup 2026

average group size fans plan to go out in for the World Cup

%

of fans would pay extra for a prime viewing spot at a venue

£

average basket value for ticketed World Cup events on Tonic

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DMN Google ranking for "where to watch the World Cup" across 8 UK cities

Own the World Cup Buzz. Maximise Matchdays.

Get your hands on DesignMyNight’s World Cup 2026 Insights and make the most of the biggest sporting event this year.