Six Nations 2026: UK fans set to drink 1.45m pints in stadiums

Six Nations 2026: UK fans set to drink 1.45m pints in stadiums

The 2026 Six Nations kicks off on 5th February 2026, bringing packed-out stadiums and huge matchday crowds across the UK.

New estimates from Beavertown suggest that UK fans attending matches in-stadium could drink up to 1.45 million pints across UK-hosted Six Nations fixtures in 2026, highlighting just how big matchday drinking moments can be during rugby’s biggest tournament.

To visualise it: 1.45 million pints is around 827K litres of beer – enough to fill more than half of an Olympic-sized swimming pool.

UK-hosted games could see up to 1.45m pints poured inside stadiums

Based on the 2026 fixture schedule (Allianz Stadium: 2 games, Scottish Gas Murrayfield: 2 games, Principality Stadium: 3 games) and three consumption scenarios, UK fans in attendance could collectively drink:

* 726,665 pints (assuming 1.5 pints per person)
* 968,886 pints (assuming 2 pints per person)
* 1,453,329 pints (assuming 3 pints per person)

Welsh fans set to drink the most pints during the 2026 Six Nations

Under the higher-end estimate of three pints per attendee, Wales could top the in-stadium pint count due to having three UK-hosted home fixtures:

* Wales (Principality Stadium): up to 630,279 pints across three fixtures
* England (Allianz Stadium): up to 420,186 pints across two fixtures
* Scotland (Scottish Gas Murrayfield): up to 402,864 pints across two fixtures

It’s not just stadiums: pubs poured 16.7m pints during the opening weekend of Six Nations 2025

While these estimates focus on in-stadium drinking only, the wider tournament also drives major demand in the on-trade. According to The Morning Advertiser, the opening weekend of Six Nations 2025 saw 16.7 million pints poured in pubs, highlighting the tournament’s status as one of the biggest beer occasions in the sporting calendar.