The British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA) has predicted that England fans will buy 3 million pints on Sunday 13 June when the Three Lions play Croatia in their opening match of UEFA EURO 2020.
Also, the Welsh Beer & Pub Association (WBPA) has predicted that Wales fans will buy 250,000 pints during the match between Wales and Switzerland on Saturday 12 June for UEFA EURO 2020.
However, the trade association warned that the boost to pubs from beer sales during the match will be severely hampered by ongoing restrictions, including one metre plus social distancing, no standing and the rule of six.
The trade association says these restrictions will greatly reduce the experience of watching UEFA EURO 2020 at the pub and will limit the number of customers they can have viewing the match.
Because of this, it estimates that beer sales during the match will be almost 1 million pints lower than if the game was being showed without restrictions. This, the trade association says, will result in a loss of revenue to pubs in England of £3 million on Sunday alone, which would have been vital to the sectors recovery.
Overall, the trade association estimates 10 million pints will be sold on Sunday, with 3 million of those being sold during the game itself.
In comparison, when England last played Croatia at the semi-finals of the FIFA World Cup 2018 in Russia, where there were no restrictions, the BBPA says 10 million pints were sold during the match itself.
Whilst there was a surge in demand to watch England at the pub due to the semi-final, the BBPA says this illustrates the severe impact restrictions will have on viewings of the Euros in pubs.
A survey of 1,000 pub goers by the British Beer & Pub Association and KAM Media found that 85% of pub-going football fans believe the current restrictions will negatively impact their experience of watching UEFA Euro 2020 at the pub this summer.
Half said they would be more likely to watch UEFA Euro 2020 at their pub if all restrictions on pubs are lifted, despite 91% of football fans saying they missed watching matches at the pub during lockdown.
As more and more individuals across the UK receive their vaccination, and to give Brits a return to normality and enjoy such a national occasion as UEFA Euro 2020 properly, the BBPA is urging the Government to remove all restrictions for pubs on 21 June.
Emma McClarkin, BBPA's Chief Executive, said, 'Nothing beats watching England at the pub. We expect Brits to buy 3 million pints when in the pub watching England play Croatia.
“Unfortunately, the current restrictions on pubs do mean the experience isn’t going to be the same. No standing and limits on group sizes, as well as social distancing, are going to severely reduce the number of people who can enjoy the game in the pub.
“Because of this, we expect pubs to sell 1 million pints less than they would have done without restrictions. That will cost our pubs £3 million on Sunday alone. Given our pubs have been closed or faced restrictions for more than a year, every little helps and is critical to our recovery and survival.
“More and more people are getting the vaccine each day. It’s time for the restrictions on our freedoms to be replaced by the protection of the vaccination and for businesses and life to get back to normal. The Countdown to Freedom is on.”