England's World Cup match spikes UK high‑street footfall, cuts online sales by £12 m

Data from MRI Software shows that after England's 2026 World Cup group‑stage match against Ghana on 23 June, footfall on UK high streets rose by 6.8% week‑on‑week in the period after 8 p.m., while activity fell during the main match window.

A separate analysis by web‑hosting provider 20i found that UK web traffic dropped 25% during the same match, delaying roughly £12.24 million of ecommerce sales. The decline reflects consumers shifting from online shopping to watching the game, with the postponed spending expected to return after the final whistle. Both trends highlight the immediate timing impact of major sporting events on retail and digital commerce businesses.