World Cup fever! England fans plan to ditch work early as anticipation builds for Belgium clash

An estimated 6 million pints will be consumed during the game. 
1/15
Chloe Chaplain28 June 2018

Football fans were preparing to make an early dash from work as anticipation was building for England’s World Cup clash with Belgium.

Both countries have made it through to the knockout stages but jubilant England supporters were already in a celebratory mood after arch-rival Germany was knocked out in a shock defeat on Wednesday.

Despite concerns over a beer shortage, ale-lovers were expected to drink a whopping 6 million pints extra during the football coverage.

Fans in London turn to hug each other as they celebrate during an earlier match
REUTERS

Football fanatics said they were trying to figure out ways of being able to leave work early in order to get a prime spot in front of the TV.

“Don’t finish work until 7, try to think of dramatic yet achievable lies so I can leave early and watch the football,” one wrote on Twitter.

“Not even at work yet and want it to be home time, cans in fridge chilling ready for tonight,” added another.

England Fans in Volgograd

1/10

There were concerns among pubs and beer lovers that a C02 shortage was going to have an impact on drinks on offer across the UK.

But Brigid Simmonds, head of the British Beer and Pub Association, said that football fans could “keep calm and carry on going to the pub” without fear of them running dry.

“Although stocks of bulk CO2 remain low, brewers across the country are working their socks off around the clock to ensure there is still plenty of beer to go around,” he said.

“The UK can produce as much as 10 million pints of beer per day, and with signs of things improving, pubs will certainly not be running dry.

“Our message to beer drinkers and England fans is clear: keep calm and carry on going to the pub. If your usual beer of choice isn’t available, then why not use it as an opportunity to try something new?”

He said the organisation is expecting an extra 6 million pints to be drunk tonight during the game two million more than the England – Panama match.

This is predicted to boost the economy by a staggering £18,000,000.

Mr Simmonds added: “There is no better place to watch England play in the World Cup, than in the Great British pub.

Supporters celebrate in London pubs
REUTERS

“We fully expect the nation to pack out their local this week to soak up the sunshine and watch some great sport.”

In London footy fans are expected to flood to popular locations including Merchant Square, Flat Iron Square and the scores of pubs around the capital that will show the game.

With temperatures expected to reach the high twenties, many will no doubt be ready to celebrate with a cold drink in the sunshine in the event of a victory.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in