England vs DR Congo set to generate £20m pub windfall and spike in sick days

England’s Copa America last-16 fixture against DR Congo in Atlanta on Wednesday is forecast to generate four million extra pint sales and inject an estimated £20 million into the UK hospitality sector, according to the British Beer and Pub Association.

The 5pm BST kick-off — earlier than the 9pm or 10pm starts England fans have grown accustomed to in this tournament — is expected to drive unusually high pub footfall mid-week. Andy Tighe, chief strategy officer at the British Beer and Pub Association, described the game as “a welcome boost to trade”, noting that margins in the pub sector have been “squeezed and squeezed and squeezed” and that knockout-round fixtures carry added commercial weight.

“We’re very excited — it’s the first knockout round, it’s make or break, so there’s a lot riding on it,” Tighe said. “We’ve definitely seen some big upticks across the country in pubs for the previous games, and as the tournament progresses, the level of interest only increases.”

The earlier start time is also prompting a range of workplace responses. Alan Price, chief executive of HR software firm BrightHR, which works with 68,000 small businesses in the UK, said his company’s systems have already recorded a five per cent increase in booked time off ahead of the fixture. Some employers are allowing staff to start earlier and leave before kick-off, while others are bringing television monitors into the workplace or permitting flexible scheduling for roles where tasks are not time-sensitive.

Despite those accommodations, Price expects a notable rise in sick-day calls — and believes Thursday will see more absences than Wednesday itself. “A lot of employers will have been flexible on Wednesday or had it on in the workplace, so we will see more sickness the day after,” he said.