Do Fry for me Argentina!

Final whistle feast: England’s post-match takeaway boom set to continue in World Cup semi-final

Ahead of Wednesday's World Cup semi-final against Argentina, Zilch analysis suggests takeaway and delivery platforms could be set for a significant pre and post-match uplift, with England matches & victories consistently driving spikes in late-night orders

Takeaway and delivery platforms are expected to see a significant surge in demand both before & following England's World Cup semi-final against Argentina, according to new analysis from Zilch, the intelligent payments platform with nearly six million customers.

Analysing takeaway spending across Deliveroo, Just Eat and Uber Eats throughout England's 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign, Zilch found supporters have repeatedly increased ordering immediately after major England victories, suggesting Wednesday's semi-final could create one of the biggest takeaway trading moments of the tournament.

Zilch data showed that:

Takeaway spending increased 66.6% in the hour (12:30am) after England's quarter-final victory over Norway, the largest uplift recorded across comparable fixtures.

Takeaway spending rose 41.3% following England's victory over Panama (12am), as supporters celebrated after full-time.

Spending was 36.4% higher after England's opening match against Croatia (11pm), highlighting a consistent post-match pattern throughout the tournament.

The data suggests the World Cup is changing not just how much supporters spend, but when they spend it.

While evening fixtures drove a clear post-match ordering effect, England's afternoon fixture against DR Congo saw takeaway spending rise by 17.1% before kick-off before falling below normal levels during the match itself, indicating supporters were stocking up in advance.

Commenting on the data, Andreas Andreou, Chief Revenue Officer at Zilch, said:

"England's World Cup run has created clear and consistent shifts in consumer spending behaviour. Across the tournament we've seen supporters increasingly turn to takeaway platforms after major victories, using food delivery as part of how they celebrate and extend the occasion."

"With England now just one game away from the World Cup final, Wednesday's semi-final has the potential to be one of the biggest trading moments of the tournament for takeaway and delivery businesses. If England progress, the data suggests many fans will be looking to keep the celebrations going long after the final whistle."