Brits expected to sink 15 MILLION pints as Three Lions take on Senegal tonight

England fans hit the beers early this morning as they calm their nerves ahead of tonight’s crunch match against Senegal with 15 million pints set to be sunk on Sunday.

MailOnline spoke to punters in boozers across the nation to gauge the excitement and anticipation just hours before the Three Lions take on Senegal later today.

James, 43, from Birmingham, speaking to MailOnline from a Wetherspoon’s in Victoria, said: ‘It’s going to be a very tough game. They are a very physical team Senegal are, it’s going to be a very tough game. 

‘We need to play Phil Foden and Marcus Rashford,’ he added. ‘We need the same team that wins, like the last game. I am super excited, I think we are going to win and I’m predicting a 2-1 win to England. We are going to win the World Cup — it’s coming home.’

England fan Colin Evans poses with pooch Remus at the Grant Ames Pub in Birmingham

From left to right: Chris Kingdon, Ian Davis, Brian Allen, Michael Ball, all in their 50s from Abingdon in Wetherspoon’s, ready for England’s game with Senegal on Sunday

James, 43, from Birmingham, speaking to MailOnline from a Wetherspoon in Victoria, said: ‘It’s going to be a very tough game’ but added ‘we are going to win the World Cup’

 Saint George’s Cross flags on display at the Kirby Estate, Bermondsey, ahead of the England vs Senegal football World Cup Clash

Chris Kingdon, Ian Davis, Brian Allen, Michael Ball, all in their 50s from Abingdon, had found a table early Sunday in the same Wetherspoon’s. 

Chris is more pessimistic, saying: ‘Can’t see England getting to the final, semi-finals they will get to though.’

He added: ‘We knew we were going to beat Wales the other day but I am not sure we have played with the quality to go through to the final yet. If we get through tonight and play France that will be great.’ 

‘They will win tonight’s match, 2-1 prediction,’ said Ian Davis, speaking from he same Wetherspoon’s. ‘There have been some interesting results so far from smaller teams.’

Ian added: ‘The team does seem to be like a big family. But whatever Southgate does people knock him, they build him up and knock him down, despite what he’s achieved but that’s football.

‘They need to play Foden tonight, and Rashford. Once he gets Foden back in it will be alright.’

England fans Colin Evans and Pete Lennon getting ready for the England v Senegal game later at the Grant Ames Pub in Birmingham

England fans in Leeds wear festive outfits and hold the flag the night before England’s game with Senegal on Sunday

Pubs, bars and eateries will be rammed as punters pile in for tonight’s last-16 clash against the Lions of Taranga.

Experts predict a bumper £22m will be spent in the nation’s pubs and up to £175m in supermarkets for matchday essentials today. 

Some £53m will be spent on new TVs and electricals, £34,7 on sportswear and £11.2m on souvenirs, according to a vouchercodes.co.uk World Cup Spending Report.

The British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) said pub-goers will guzzle 15 million pints today, with thousands expected to have booked off work tomorrow.

Around £94m is expected to be spent across the whole hospitality sector. 

Matt Todd, who runs the Wonston Arms in the Hampshire hamlet of Wonston, near Winchester, said a successful England World Cup run would be an ‘early Christmas present’ for small pubs.

The CAMRA pub-of-the-year has been a public house since the 1800s but faced an uncertain future during the pandemic, where it was unable to open for months because it does not serve food.

At Rossiter’s Organic Butchers in Birmingham, punters were lining up to buy special Bellingham bangers — named after the England prodigy, 19

Blues fan Steve, 55, said: ‘Everyone loves the Bellingham bangers — except for the Aston Villa fans. The sausages have a peppery kick to them — and we hope Jude will be peppering the Senegalese goal’

Mr Todd, 54, said: ‘The World Cup is running over what would normally be our quietest weeks of the year.

‘The first three England games saw our sales 320% up on this time last year.

‘A good cup run will mean tills ringing louder and longer for me as a publican. The knockouts will drive more people into pubs craving that big match atmosphere.

‘Our cellar is stocked full of beer for tonight and the phone has not stopped ringing with people wanting seats.

‘It feels like this one is going to be a whopper — and it’s only the last 16.’ 

At Rossiter’s Organic Butchers in Birmingham, punters were lining up to buy special Bellingham bangers, named after the England prodigy. 

The sausages – which contain Gloucester old spot pork spiced with pepper and chilli – were the brainchild of master butcher Steve Rossiter, 55.

Bellingham played for Birmingham City before making a big-money move to German club Borussia Dortmund in 2020.

Blues fan Steve, 55, said: ‘Everyone loves the Bellingham bangers — except for the Aston Villa fans.

‘The sausages have a peppery kick to them — and we hope Jude will be peppering the Senegalese goal.

‘Jude is a proper West Midlands lad and we are all so proud of how far he has gone.’

England fans line the streets in the Souq area of Doha ahead of tonight’s match with Senegal

England fan Carl is pictured with Senegal fans in Doha. Senegalese football fans based in the UK have decided where their loyalties lie as they gear up for Sunday’s World Cup clash

The Chestergate pub in Stockport meanwhile has changed its name to The Southgate in honour of the England boss. Pub manager Stephanie Armstrong, 34, is expecting a full house well before the 7pm kick off.

She said: ‘There’s going to be a brilliant atmosphere in here. I can’t wait.

‘We’ve got loads of screens showing the footie and we’ve ordered extra beer in. It’s not going to be a usual Sunday night.’

According to data consultancy CGA Insight, England’s first World Cup game with Iran netted an 62% uplift in beer sales.

Spending in pubs, bars and clubs rose by 20.5% for the Wales game compared with the same day in 2021.

England fans Tom Egerton (left) and Tom King (right), at the Cabana Hop Garden in Doha

UK Hospitality chief executive Kate Nicholls said: ‘Big, televised sporting events always provide a boost to pubs and this comes at a particularly helpful time, as businesses struggle to cover rising costs and footfall decreases with consumers tightening their spending.

‘Pubs will be putting in a huge amount of time, effort and resource to offer the ideal place to watch the football but many are still suffering from a lack of staff, so we’d encourage all visitors to be patient with bar staff while they work during one of the busiest times of the year.’

Emma McClarkin, Chief Executive of the British Beer and Pub Association said: ‘Pubs were hoping for a boost to business during this World Cup and so far, the beer has been flowing, and fans have been showing up to cheer on England.

‘The tournament has been filling up pubs on days that otherwise might be quieter, and we’re hoping that trend continues in the next couple of weeks.

‘It’s been a tough year for our industry, and we know people are feeling the pinch but we’re really hoping fans continue to turn out to support two great British institutions by toasting to the Three Lions at their local pub. We’ll be keeping everything crossed because when England do well, so do our pubs!’

England fans in the Souq area of Doha, ahead of the FIFA World Cup Round of Sixteen match between England and Senegal

Fans of Senegal dance at the traditional market Souq Waqif during the World Cup in Doha

Senegalese football fans based in the UK have decided where their loyalties lie as they gear up for Sunday’s World Cup clash which will send either Senegal or England out of the tournament.

The Three Lions’ 3-0 win over Wales secured them a spot in the knockout stages against Senegal, who became group A runners-up with a 2-1 victory over Ecuador on Tuesday.

Veronique Sow is from Senegal and will support them against England but has lived in Sutton, south London, for five years and said she expects ‘a very tough match’ on Sunday, which her close friend and the team’s injured star, Sadio Mane, is set to miss.

‘He’s very sad because the World Cup is a very, very big competition,’ the 31-year-old, who works for music streaming company Deezer, told the PA news agency.

‘He’s our best player… But we are doing quite well without him. And that’s why everyone is shocked because we are playing very well without him.

‘Whatever the outcome of the match, I will be happy because Senegal is my country and England is my adoptive country.’

Ms Sow and Mane first met when she was working for the Senegalese Football Federation 10 years ago.

She is in Qatar and has tickets for Sunday’s match, which she believes will go to penalties after a 1-1 draw before Senegal clinch a spot in the quarter-finals.

Ms Sow explained that her husband, who is British, will also support Senegal – but maintained England will gain her support if they triumph.

‘It’s definitely my second home because when the competition started, I was sharing pictures of England and Senegal as well,’ she said.

England fans with a Stockport County flag, in the Souq area of Doha,

Ms Sow is from Senegal and will support them against England but has lived in Sutton, London, for five years and said she expects ‘a very tough match’ on Sunday

‘I support Senegal and England but for this game, I have made a choice and I will support Senegal. If we lose, I will come back and then support England for the rest of the World Cup.’

Aziz Ndiaye, 52, is also from Senegal but holds dual citizenship as he has lived in the UK since 1996 when he came to study at the University of Westminster.

Mr Ndiaye, an accountant based in Greenwich, told PA he is ‘pretty confident’ Senegal will win but described conflicting family ties as his 11-year-old son, Jules, will back England.

‘He might not have supper, depending on the results,’ Mr Ndiaye joked.

‘I would rather not play (England) because they are my two countries, but it’s football.

‘I’m feeling pretty confident, even though we’ve been given 1% of a winning chance against England.’

Mr Ndiaye added that if Senegal were to exit the competition, he would support England.

He has not yet decided where he will watch the match — which he predicts will finish 2-1 to Senegal — but said many of his Senegalese friends in London will tune in.

‘People are very excited,’ he said. ‘Hopefully there will be a good turnout… I’ve got my Senegal shirt here, I’ve also got my flag ready. Bring on Sunday.’

Faty Kane, who is Senegalese and lives in Whitley Bay near Newcastle, told PA she is ‘totally confident’ Senegal will beat England.

‘We are the African champions so it would be sad if we were to go out so soon,’ the 39-year-old founder of womenswear label Tarunah said.

England fans at the Cabana Hop Garden in Doha, ahead of the FIFA World Cup Round of Sixteen match between England and Senegal which will be played at the Al-Bayt Stadium in Al Khor, Qatar. Picture date: Sunday December 4, 2022

A Senegalese fan wears a boubou, fashioned out of the Senegalese National flag, in Dakar

‘I think we will have to show that we are not the African champions for nothing.’

Mrs Kane thinks it will be 1-0 to Senegal but hopes her team scores even more goals.

Despite being sad star player Sadio Mane is injured, she said: ‘I am totally confident that they will win, especially after their performance in their last game.’

Mrs Kane said her husband Steve, 41, who works for a charity, is British and whose family is from Scotland, is a ‘proper football fanatic’ and will want England to win.

However, he will ‘still be happy’ if Senegal win and his family are supporting the Senegalese team.

As for the couple’s children, Mrs Kane said they have a fairly diplomatic stance, saying ‘we want England and Senegal to win’.

‘They were quite loyal to the Senegalese team and then when we told them that Senegal would play England, they did not know who to support – I think they just want both teams to win,’ she added.

Their children share their names with two of Senegal’s top players.

Daughter Sadio, four, shares her name with Mane and son Kalidou, three, shares his name with captain Kalidou Koulibaly.

The family will tune into the match wearing their football shirts and waving flags and, despite saying there is no chance of a rivalry brewing, Mrs Kane said she might need to think of a bet against her family if her match prediction comes true.

Senegal fans in central Doha prepared for their World Cup game against England by performing traditional dances and singing their own version of ‘It’s coming home’.

Dozens of supporters of the West African country staged a Sanbar dance which is performed for good luck ahead of major events.

Senegal’s fans are known as the ’12th man’ because of their vociferous and colourful support of the team, who are nicknamed ‘The Lions of Teranga.’

Antonia Seck, 26 from Dakar said: ‘We’re getting ready for the big game in the same way we would prepare for a wedding or any other celebration. That’s because after the match against England, we will be celebrating.’

Her friend Georgia Diop, 28 added: ‘We love to dance and sing in Senegal. It’s going to be a great game and we will win.’