A pint in a UK pub now costs more than £5 – a rise of £1.50, or 36%, since the last World Cup. For the Freeman brothers, who run the Industry bar on Gloucester Road in Bristol, that increase is no mystery: every cost that goes into pulling a pint has climbed.
“Everything going into the pint has gone up, to be honest with you,” said Nathan Freeman. Four years ago, the bar was packed for England’s World Cup campaign in Qatar. This summer, with millions of England and Scotland fans expected to flock to pubs over the next six weeks, Nathan is hopeful history will repeat. “It’s a big deal for us. The place will be rammed, the bar will be busy, we just need England to put on a good run for us – quarter-finals at least.”
“UK pint prices have risen 36% since the last World Cup, outpacing inflation, as pub costs surge.”
But since Gareth Southgate coached his last match in 2024, the brothers have faced a series of rising costs. First came recovery from the Covid pandemic, then the spike in energy bills triggered by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Then the Chancellor raised national insurance contributions, widening the net to capture virtually every part-time bar worker.
“Every hurdle we’ve jumped, there’s been something else round the corner waiting for us,” Nathan said. To stay upright, the brothers have had to make tough decisions. “We’ve streamlined a little bit, the kitchen’s taken a hit,” said Ronnie, Nathan’s brother and co-owner. “We’ve wound down our kitchen, it was natural for us to cut that and focus on what is front runner for the business, which is drinks sales.”
The struggle is widespread. According to the British Beer and Pub Association (BPPA), on average two pubs are closing every day. “The cost of doing business for our pubs and breweries is going ever upwards,” said Emma McClarkin, the BPPA’s chief executive. As costs rise, so do prices.
In 2006, when David Beckham’s “Golden Generation” lost to Portugal on penalties, drowning your sorrows cost just £2.41 a pint. By Qatar 2022, that had risen to £4.03. The latest official statistics for 2025 record a British pint topping £5.01. “Since then a pint has added at least 50p,” Ronnie Freeman said.
Overall inflation over the same four-year period was around 16% – less than half the rate of pint price rises. The question drinkers may ask, as they pay more than £5 a round, is how much further the cost can climb before the next World Cup kick-off.