Pub owners in the city hold mixed views on the impact of the World Cup on trade after a period of severe economic pressures on the industry.
UK pubs have been under significant pressure since the Covid-19 pandemic, with rising business rates and a cost of living crisis leading to several closures.
The Office of National Statistics states that as of January 2025, the average price for a pint of draught lager in England, Scotland, and Wales was 483 pence (£4.83). However the majority of pubs in Edinburgh now sell pints of draught lager for more than £5, with £6 to £7 draught lagers becoming more common in the city.
While international football tournaments typically help attendance, Scotland’s first World Cup qualification in 28 years was a national event for pubs across the country. Their opening match against Haiti, which was broadcast at 2AM BST, was shown in wide array of pubs after being granted late licenses.
Ben Prowse, co-owner of the Polwarth Tavern, has been one of several pub owners showing matches.
He said: “Scotland games have helped the pub, and as the tournament goes on and games gets bigger we expect more people.”
However, the tournament’s expansion has meant that not all games are viewed equally, with Ben saying that smaller games have not had as much of an impact compared to “big games”.
Ben believes that the tournament has “too many teams” and is “not user friendly”, particularly due to the late kick-off times in the UK.
“Other than Scotland, it’s not been spectacular”, he said.
Brian Dobie, operations manager at the Pear Tree near the University of Edinburgh, said: “It’s certainly been a blessing with everything that’s gone on in the past. Since Covid, there’s been a very difficult recovery rate for hospitality industry as a whole, but it’s certainly been a good one for all the pubs that are still active. We’ve seen an increase in trade, and it gives a good bit of exposure as well.
“Scotland games have certainly been spectacular, but because we’re directly across the university, we get all the other supporters coming in as well for all the games, so it’s been a good event. Same as the Euros will be in two years’ time.”
However, both pub owners have cited challenges to their businesses, with Ben listing a “decline in trade all around, growth in rates, national insurance, price increases compared to people’s wages” as pressing issues facing the industry.
To face these issues he has tried to focus on a “community experience” to have patrons return.
Brian said: “We’re still getting back to where we were from six years ago, so it’s going to be a lengthy process.
“We are obviously getting hit with things like business rates going up drastically, minimum wage going up, suppliers costs going up, and these all have to get passed on to the public, which is never a nice thing to do, but obviously it’s tricky to keep businesses going these days.
“The Pear Tree itself is a very large unit, so we don’t have the issues that smaller pubs would have, but I would expect to still see small pubs going to the wall in the next couple of years.
Stephen Montgomery, director of the Scottish Hospitality Group, said that the World Cup had been a “welcome boost” for many businesses but that “the picture hasn’t been the same for everyone.”
He said: “For some operators, trade has been closer to break-even, or even slightly below expectations, depending on the type of business they run and their customer base.
“One factor that certainly had an impact was the timing of Scotland’s match falling on the same weekend as Father’s Day. With household budgets still under pressure, many families could only afford one day or evening out, and a lot chose to celebrate Father’s Day in hospitality before watching the Scotland game at home.
Montgomery added that it would be “interesting to see how trade develops” as the tournament progresses, adding that positive attendance figures meaning that “there is still every opportunity for businesses to benefit over the coming days”
Leon Thompson, executive director of UKHospitality Scotland, welcomed Scots choosing to watch games in pubs and that the tournament “will have provided a much-needed boost for our pubs and bars, which continue to grapple with cost challenges, and I hope our venues continue to see a boost throughout the rest of the World Cup.”
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