One in five football fans in England believe the World Cup is coming home

Peter RavenData Journalist
December 09, 2022, 11:34 AM GMT+0

One in seven of the wider population think England will lift the trophy

And then there were eight. As the 2022 World Cup enters the quarter-finals stage, YouGov’s World Cup tracker has revealed that 20% of people living in England who say they are very or fairly interested in watching football believe Gareth Southgate’s side is the most likely of the remaining contenders to win the competition.

Throughout the tournament, Brazil have remained the team football fans in England think are most likely to lift the trophy in the Lusail Iconic Stadium on December 18. After the five-time winners beat South Korea 4-1 in the last 16 of the competition, 44% of those interested in football in England believe Brazil will add to their record haul of trophies — the highest level for Brazil while YouGov has been tracking football fans’ forecasts during this World Cup

On Saturday, England face current holders France, a side who one in six football fans in England (17%) believe will retain the trophy. Those interested in football in England are less convinced of Argentina’s chances, however, with only 5% believing Lionel Messi will lift the trophy in what could well be his last World Cup.

One in seven people in England believe Gareth Southgate’s side will return from Qatar with the trophy

Following the Three Lions’ 3-0 win over Senegal on December 4, one in seven people in England (14%) believe Harry Kane will lift the trophy in Qatar. A similar number of English people also believe that France can win the World Cup, with 13% saying England’s quarter-final opponents can retain their title.

As with those interested in football, the wider population in England also believe Brazil are the favourites to return home with the World Cup. A quarter (27%) say that Thiago Silva will lift the trophy to make it six World Cup titles for the Brazilians.