A major pub chain has introduced a new £5 deposit rule for England fans wishing to watch the FIFA World Cup 2026 at its venues. Greene King, which operates around 2,600 pubs across the UK, is charging customers a £5 per person fee to secure a table for England home nation games during the tournament.
Deposit Policy Details
Normally, Greene King does not require deposits for table bookings except on Christmas Day. However, for this summer's World Cup, the chain has implemented a deposit policy for home nation games. According to the policy: “Guests will be required to pay £5pp for England games (in an English pub) and £5pp for Scotland games (in a Scottish pub) during the World Cup to secure their booking.”
Chain's Justification
A spokesperson for Greene King explained the reasoning behind the move: “We are proud to show live sport in our pubs and create a great atmosphere for fans. There is no better place to watch the games with fellow fans if you can’t be in the stadium! On some occasions, a deposit is required. This is not an additional charge for customers and it is 100% redeemable against food or drinks. We do this to guarantee the very best in-pub atmosphere and experience for fans who want to come together and reserve the best seats for the games.”
England's Victory Over Croatia
The announcement comes after England's impressive 4-2 win against Croatia on Wednesday night. Captain Harry Kane revealed that a half-time speech from manager Thomas Tuchel inspired the team's comeback. “He told us to take the shackles off, calm down and let’s go. He said what’s the worst that can happen? Show the world who we can be,” said Kane. “We came out in the second half full gas and they couldn’t live with it, and that’s the level we have to set in every game. The way we controlled the game once we went ahead, we never really looked like we were in danger and then scored on the counterattack. We had a spell where we could have scored three or four. Credit to everyone: the first game of the tournament and a great result against a tough side.”
Fellow goalscorer Jude Bellingham added: “It wasn’t one of those where it was a big drama or standing up and shouting; it was what the team needed. We have a mature group with great leaders in there; everyone knew the level we had to get to. The start of the second half gave us a great platform.”
