United Kingdom: a record 79.4 million cumulated attendance for professional sport in 2025

A record 79.4 million spectators attended professional sporting events in the United Kingdom in 2025, according to a study by the UK-based consultancy, sales and data-driven marketing agency Two Circles, published on 27/01/2026.

This figure represents an increase of 1.67 million spectators compared with 2024 and remains well above pre-pandemic levels (73.8 million in 2019). "Having ranked as the world’s number one sports attendance market per capita in 2024, the UK’s continued growth reinforces its position as the global capital of live sport".

Football alone accounted for 72% of total attendance in the UK in 2025, ahead of rugby union and horse racing (6% each). These three sports all recorded year-on-year growth, something that had not occurred simultaneously since before the Covid-19 pandemic.

In terms of individual events, The Wimbledon Grand Slam attracted the highest attendance (548,000), followed by the British Grand Prix (500,000) and Royal Ascot (286,000), a trio that has remained unchanged for more than a decade.

The year 2025 was also marked in the UK by the staging of the…