Millions of fans streaming England’s World Cup victory against DR Congo during their evening commute triggered unprecedented surges in mobile traffic for the UK’s largest networks, new data has revealed.
Both EE and O2 registered new records during Wednesday evening’s Fifa men’s football match. The 5pm kick-off coincided with many people’s journey home from work, prompting widespread mobile viewing.
EE’s network experienced an all-time peak in traffic during the game, soaring 42 per cent above average Wednesday levels.
Concurrently, O2 recorded its biggest mobile traffic spike in history, exceeding its previous high – set when Arsenal played PSG in the UEFA Champions League final in May – by 20.4 per cent.
Overall, mobile traffic was 27.7 per cent higher than an average week, as millions of supporters streamed the match during their evening commute, O2 said.
This led to traffic on BBC iPlayer, which was streaming the match, surging by 380 per cent compared to a typical weekday afternoon, according to the network’s data.
Jeanie York, chief technology officer at Virgin Media O2, said: “Live sport is one of the biggest drivers of mobile traffic in the UK and England’s victory over DR Congo set a new record on O2’s network.
“With millions of fans following the match during the evening commute, reliable mobile connectivity has never been more important.”
The news comes as England’s World Cup match delivered a significant boost to the high street as fans left work early and headed out to support the Three Lions from pubs and bars.
Overall footfall rose by 7.4 per cent week on week on Wednesday, driven by a 15 per cent increase across high streets, according to data from MRI Software.
Activity built steadily throughout the afternoon, with high street visits jumping 28 per cent between 2pm and 5pm as people left work early to meet friends, visit pubs, bars, and fan zones, and enjoy the pre-match atmosphere before kickoff.
The impact was most notable in London, where office-dense locations recorded a 31.7% uplift during the same period.
Footfall across the capital increased by 46.7 per cent week on week.
Visits after 5pm, when the match began, were also up 13.3 per cent, highlighting how major sporting events are increasingly extending the evening economy beyond the match itself, MRI said.
An MRI Software spokesman said: “Rather than heading straight home, many workers appear to have stayed in town to watch the game in nearby pubs, bars and fan zones, providing a welcome boost to both hospitality and the wider evening economy.
“This is also reflected in visits rising by an average of 13.3 per cent post 5pm, week on week, in the capital.
“The data continues to reinforce how major sporting events are becoming social occasions that extend far beyond the 90 minutes on the pitch.
“With England’s next match kicking off at 1am, we expect activity to shift later into the evening on Sunday and into the early hours, particularly around pubs, bars, and fan zones where extended trading hours will be in place.
“These late-night spikes could provide a welcome boost to the night-time economy while building a space, and sense of community, where people will want to come back to time and time again.”
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