Britons to Bet More Than £3bn on 2026 World Cup — 36% More Than in 2022

^{Pictured: England National Football Team}

The UK Treasury could collect around £58 million in tax revenue from betting on the 2026 FIFA World Cup, according to estimates published by the TaxPayers’ Alliance ahead of England’s semi-final against Argentina.

The calculations are based on the current UK tax system, under which bookmakers pay 15% of their gross gaming revenue (GGR*) to the government. Analysts also assumed an average bookmaker margin of 12.5%.

Estimated tax receipts generated by bettors across the four nations of the UK are:

• England — around £48 million;
• Scotland — £5 million;
• Wales — £2.6 million;
• Northern Ireland — £1.8 million.

According to the TaxPayers’ Alliance, Britons are expected to wager a total of £3.1 billion on the tournament, up 36% from the 2022 World Cup.

Around one in eight UK residents is expected to place a bet.

Estimated betting volumes by stage of the tournament are:

• Group stage — £1.2 billion;
• Round of 16 and quarter-finals — £1.1 billion;
• Semi-finals — £446 million;
• Third-place play-off — £97 million;
• Final — £237 million.

Analysts separately estimated that betting on the final alone could generate £4.4 million in tax revenue for the UK Treasury.

Overall, the UK government expects to collect £5 billion in gambling taxes during the 2026–27 financial year, a quarter more than in the previous year.

Gambling Park notes that the UK tax rate on online betting will rise from 15% to 25% in April 2027.

* GGR, or gross gaming revenue, is calculated as the total amount wagered minus winnings paid out to players.