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England fans will drink an extra 55 million pints during the World Cup if Harry Kane’s team make it to the final, generating millions in revenue that could save our struggling pubs.

New figures for The Independent from the British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA), based on past tournaments, show an England appearance in the final would raise an extra £275m in sales, assuming an average price for a pint of £5.

In a non-World Cup summer, pubs might expect to sell 372m pints between early June and late July, the dates of the tournament.

That means that if Harry Kane scores enough goals, he could help save the Great British boozer, as well as write himself into English history as a footballing hero.

In 2000, there were 60,000 pubs in the UK, but that figure now stands at 45,000 – with an average of two closing every day in the first quarter of 2026. If that rate continues, the last pub in Britain will call time on May 5, 2087.

According to the BBPA, each World Cup game generates an extra £2.5m to £5m to the industry, with each pub estimated to sell an extra 1240 pints in the run-up to the final. That is the equivalent of 625,000 50-litre kegs.

Emma McClarkin, CEO of the BBPA, said: “The World Cup will be an important boost for Britain’s pubs and brewers, bringing fans together in the nation’s living room. This tournament will further cement pubs’ rightful place as the home for community and celebrations, and this summer of sport could prove to be a summer of success for our locals.”

Outside of the pub trade, potential boosts to the economy are harder to quantify. Economists note that there might be a boom in sales of new TVs if England does well, but people will use the TV for more than just football. Similarly, booms in other so-called “party” spending might be attributable to weddings, for example.

But in 2018, the Centre for Retail Research estimated there was an extra £2.7bn in spending during that year’s World Cup, when England made it to the semi-finals. Bookmakers, pubs and supermarkets were deemed the biggest winners.

There is disagreement about whether this is a one-off bump or something that has an enduring effect.

The CRR said: “Every goal scored by an England footballer – right the way to the final – would be worth £165.3m to England’s retailers and an extra £33.2m to pubs, hotels and restaurants.”

Post Covid, more people want to spend money on “experiences”, so they want to watch games in pubs or at barbecues with friends.

Polls show that Britons expect the World Cup to boost the nation, which is in turn expected to improve consumer confidence.

According to a study in March from marketing firm Newsworks, 82 per cent of Britons expect the upcoming World Cup to have a positive effect on the UK, especially if the England team go far in the tournament.

The majority believe the World Cup will lift the nation’s mood (59 per cent), providing fun moments for people to socialise (44 per cent) as well as bringing the nation together (43 per cent).

Veteran finance expert, David Buik, who has studied the economy for six decades, said: “The mood of the nation would improve. Socialising would increase. Winning could lift the economy by 1 per cent of GDP for at least a quarter. The flip side of that is, what could it cost us if the team crash out early? If Harry Kane misses the key penalty that sends us out in the semi-final, what does he owe the rest of us?”

If the estimated benefit of reaching the final is worth £50m, divided by a UK population of nearly 70m, that amounts to 71p each.

Buik said: “Should we bill him individually? He can probably afford to pay.”

City economists said that while it is possible to see a short-term economic boost of perhaps £3bn from a n England World Cup win, this might be a temporary sugar rush rather than a lasting growth engine.

Simon French, chief economist at Panmure Gordon Liberum in the City, says: “The economy is very much in need of a shot in the arm of animal spirits. If a World Cup win helps spark this, then it can be very material – if not, the froth in the economy will fade as quickly as the froth on the beer.”