FIFA World Cup 2026: Why did UK domestic abuse hit record highs during tournament matches? Details here | Today’s news
There have been strange but interesting findings related to the 2026 FIFA World Cup, linking it to an increase in domestic violence in the United Kingdom, Sky News reported, citing observations by the British Football Police Unit. This year, Britain has seen one of the highest incidents of domestic violence in recent years during the most anticipated and watched sporting tournament.
The increase in total reported incidents was due to alcohol consumption linked to the World Cup, according to the national head of British Football Policing, Chief Constable Mark Roberts. Of the 2,322 incidents reported during the tournament, there were a total of 384 reported incidents of domestic violence. This means that 17 per cent of reported incidents involved domestic violence, resulting in 391 arrests across the UK.
The UK has had one of the highest incidents of domestic abuse during the 2026 FIFA World Cup
When compared to figures recorded during the 2024 UEFA European Championship, it was found that a total of 1,302 football-related incidents were reported in the UK, leading to 321 arrests. However, this year there have been a total of 1,008 football-related incidents at licensed venues, indicating the second highest number in a comparable tournament.
Meanwhile, around 123 people were detained in the UK during the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar after 573 incidents were reported. Taking into account England’s last five international tournaments, the United Kingdom recorded the highest total number of incidents during Euro 2020, with 2,345 and 599 arrests. The tournament was played in different countries due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Chief Constable Mark Roberts indicated that an increase in incidents had been seen in periods where alcohol licenses were extended to late matches. These conclusions were reached following findings during England’s matches with Argentina and Norway and the France-Morocco match, which resulted in chaos and widespread disorder in London.
On the night of England’s game against Norway, the number of incidents rose to around 300 when pubs were allowed to stay open until 2am. The Chief Constable confirmed there was a direct link between extended drinking hours and reported incidents on match days, saying: “The domestic abuse we see at tournaments is certainly linked to alcohol consumption,” adding: “The more alcohol consumption, the bigger the problem.
He indicated that there was a large number of offenses where licensing laws were extended and backed up the findings with figures. He concluded that increased alcohol consumption “exacerbates problems, including domestic abuse”.
Mark Roberts argued that the administration’s licensing decisions came at short notice on several occasions, which limited the force’s ability to adequately plan for the potential for crime in the UK. Remarkably, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s directive to extend the pub’s license to serve alcohol until 5am came at short notice, just 48 hours before England’s match with Mexico.
“It was feared that the blanket exemption meant there was no opportunity for local control to make sure plans were in place and the area was saturated,” Sky News quoted the chief constable as saying. He further noted that police officials are unable to reschedule shifts and bring in officers on time.
