England supporters in the United States have been praised for their “excellent” behaviour during the group stage of the World Cup, with police reporting no violence or disorder involving England fans in America. Chief constable Mark Roberts, head of the UK Football Policing Unit (UKFPU), said: “The behaviour of England fans – and of course the Scots – has been excellent throughout the group stages of the World Cup.”
Roberts noted that in pre-briefs, UKFPU stressed to local law enforcement the positive record of England fans at recent World Cups. “It is great to see that continuing and the fans being policed according to their behaviour, not an outdated reputation,” he added.
“England fans praised for excellent behaviour in US, but domestic football-related incidents rise sharply to 463, up from 304 at Euro 2024.”
Of only five arrests involving England supporters in the US, just two came at a World Cup match. All five have been released by American authorities and referred to the UKFPU.
But back home, the picture is starkly different. There have been 463 football-related incidents in England and Wales – significantly higher than at the same stage in Euro 2024 (304) and the 2022 World Cup (291). Of those, 162 occurred in licensed premises, while 109 are classed as domestic incidents, often involving family members over the age of 16.
Eighty-eight people have been arrested, again up on Euro 2024 (66) and the 2022 World Cup (56). Many football-related arrests in the UK come under the Public Order Act, covering a wide variety of anti-social behaviour, including swearing, shouting, intimidation and violence.
Before the World Cup began, 1,958 football supporters subject to football banning orders were required to surrender their passports to stop them heading to the tournament.
The behaviour of Scotland fans in the States has also been praised, though their figures are not included in this report. England will play DR Congo on Wednesday in the last 32 of the World Cup.