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Some England fans booking a spot in the pub for Wednesday's World Cup 2026 match against Croatia found themselves subject to an up-front payment as a popular chain opted to apply a deposit on matchdays.
Scotland fans faced the same requirement north of the border and the £5 fee is expected to be in place throughout the tournament for the Tartan Army back home and pub-going England supporters.
FIFA has been criticised for exploiting demand with dynamic ticket pricing at the World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico, and fans in England and Scotland create huge demand in the hospitality industry too.
Pubs in England and Scotland are applying a £5 booking deposit for World Cup matches
According to The Sun, pub giant Greene King has around 2,600 venues in the United Kingdom and is applying a charge of £5 per person to book a table in England when England are playing, and in Scotland when Scotland are playing.
The deposit, which is normally only in operation on Christmas Day, can be redeemed against food and drink but is non-refundable if a fan or fans don't show up for their booking with less than 72 hours' notice.
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They also face losing their deposit and their booking if they arrive more than 15 minutes late.
"We are proud to show live sport in our pubs and create a great atmosphere for fans," said a spokesperson for Greene King. "There is no better place to watch the games with fellow fans if you can’t be in the stadium!
"On some occasions, a deposit is required. This is not an additional charge for customers and it is 100 per cent redeemable against food or drinks.
"We do this to guarantee the very best in-pub atmosphere and experience for fans who want to come together and reserve the best seats for the games."
Despite the added risk of losing a fiver per person, Greene King is understood to have achieved record bookings for England's win against Croatia on Wednesday evening.
"Greene King, the country's leading pub company and brewer, has reported that England's opening game against Croatia tonight (Wednesday, 17 June) is the top performing fixture of the tournament to date with 5.6k bookings for the match across its managed pubs," reports The British Guild of Beer Writers.
"This is higher than England's first Euro 2024 match vs Serbia. To date, managed pubs have received bookings for 65k covers for this summer's international football fixtures.
"Despite a 2am kick off time for Scotland's opening game vs Haiti last Sunday, almost 20 pubs across Scotland reported reaching booked seating capacity."
Did you pay a £5 deposit to watch England or Scotland in the pub? Let us know in the comments below...
