England and Scotland’s group stage matches at the 2026 Fifa World Cup are projected to trigger a national electricity surge equivalent to the combined power consumption of Leeds and Glasgow, according to Britain’s energy system operator.
The National Energy System Operator (Neso) has analysed potential demand, predicting that each of England and Scotland’s games could see a 600-megawatt increase in national electricity usage.
This significant spike is comparable to the total electricity required to power both major cities simultaneously.
Energy suppliers across the UK are now preparing for these anticipated peaks in demand.
The surge is expected as large numbers of people tune in to watch the tournament on their televisions and other devices.
Furthermore, demand is forecast to rise sharply during half-time and full-time, driven by common household activities such as opening refrigerators or boiling kettles.
Furthermore, Scotland’s games are scheduled for late at night – with the first kicking off at 2am UK time – meaning they fall at times when electricity usage typically drops as people are sleeping.
Despite increased usage, more energy-efficient TVs and devices mean Britain could use around 20% less electricity to watch matches than in 1998 when Scotland last played in a World Cup.
This is despite the population growing by around 11 million in that time.
However, total electricity usage could soar by 18 gigawatts, or 60%, across the 39 days of the World Cup, compared with the last tournament in 2022, according to the analysis.
This year’s tournament is larger than usual with a scheduled 104 games played by 48 teams, spread across more than five weeks and in stadiums in the US, Canada and Mexico.
Craig Dyke, director of system operations for Neso, said this year’s World Cup “has more games than ever before, meaning we’re likely to see a surge in electricity demand across the longer tournament”.
He added: “While what happens on the pitch can always throw up surprises, watching this year’s World Cup will almost certainly be powered by the cleanest electricity in history.”
Mr Dyke said engineers will be “working around the clock to balance supply and demand” using energy forecasting and technologies such as batteries and pumped hydro storage, which uses excess electricity during off-peak hours.
