How good pub WiFi became the backbone of the World Cup

Nearly two in three Brits heading to a venue to watch the World Cup this summer plan to connect to its WiFi, according to new research from Sky Business.

The study found that 62% of fans attending a hospitality venue intend to use its WiFi, rising to 71% among 25 to 34-year-olds.

With fans expecting to spend an average of £52 per game at a venue, Sky Business said pubs stand to benefit from one of the biggest sporting events of the decade.

The research also found that 76% of hospitality decision makers say the importance of connectivity at their venue has increased since previous World Cups.

Of the fans who plan to connect to a venue’s WiFi, 38% will use it to chat to friends and family about the game, 33% will check social media to follow live reactions, and 30% will look up match information such as line-ups and statistics.

Nearly one in three fans (29%) said a reliable WiFi connection is an important factor for venues to get right when showing live games during the tournament, ranking it above air conditioning at 19%.

The data also pointed to how disruptive a loss of connectivity would be, with 13% of fans saying a WiFi outage would be their biggest nightmare on a match night, more than double the 5% who chose losing sound.

Previous Sky research found that 60% of fans expect to hear commentary when watching live sport in pubs and bars.

Why operators are prioritising connectivity

Kate Davidson, who co-owns The Old Ivy House in London, said strong connectivity has become central to running a match night. Davidson took over the pub with her business partner in September 2022.

“Customer behaviour has shifted dramatically, very few people carry cash anymore, which means your connectivity isn’t just a nice-to-have, it’s the backbone of your business. If it goes down, everything goes down with it,” Davidson said.

She added that the venue keeps its staff systems and customer WiFi completely separate so that its payment infrastructure stays protected. “It’s not the most visible investment, but on a sold-out England match night, it’s one that matters,” she said.

Damian Saunders, Managing Director at Sky Business, said reliable connectivity now matters to fans as well as businesses. “Our research shows that strong, reliable WiFi is now essential not just for businesses, but for fans too, powering how supporters connect, share and celebrate the moments that matter most, together,” Saunders said.

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