Football arrests rise to 2,025 in 2025-26 as policing chief brands figures 'unacceptable'

Football’s national policing lead has declared the latest arrest figures for the 2025-26 domestic season “unacceptable”, after Home Office data confirmed 2,025 football-related arrests in England and Wales — a rise from 2,004 the previous year. Chief Constable Mark Hobrough, the National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for football policing, said the numbers understate the real problem because they exclude associated crimes such as domestic abuse.

Hobrough drew a sharp contrast between the behaviour of England fans who travelled to North America for the 2026 World Cup — which he described as “exemplary” — and conduct at home during the same period. A separate figure of 357 arrests in England and Wales was recorded in connection with fans watching England’s World Cup matches domestically, compared with just 19 arrests at the tournament itself.

“Though the vast majority of supporters attending domestic fixtures in the UK are law-abiding and enjoy supporting their teams at great games, there still remain an unacceptable number who spoil the event for others,” Hobrough said in a statement.

He added that the published statistics fail to capture the full extent of football-related harm. “Sadly, these figures do not paint a full picture as they do not include many of the associated offences, such as domestic abuse, which often occur behind closed doors after the full-time whistle has blown and in many cases nowhere near any stadium.”

The Home Office figures for 2025-26 were first published in July showing 1,963 arrests or police actions, but have since been revised upward to 2,025. When domestic games, the World Cup, and European fixtures abroad are combined, total arrests across the season reached 2,403 — down from 2,584 in 2023-24, the previous season that included a major men’s tournament.

Officials attributed a rise in tournament-related arrests recorded within England and Wales, compared with 2023-24, to improved recording practices and greater awareness among police forces rather than a straightforward increase in disorder.

Hobrough said authorities would continue working with the Crown Prosecution Service, the Premier League, the EFL, and the Football Association to make football “a safe environment for the overwhelming majority of supporters who just want to enjoy the game.”