Pub booking activity rises sharply ahead of England’s World Cup campaign opener against Croatia on Wednesday, according to data cited by multiple outlets. Technology provider Zonal reports that bookings for pub arrivals scheduled up to two hours before the match are up 293% compared with a baseline used for the measure. The coverage frames the increase as a sign of “World Cup fever” and focuses on demand for match-day pub visits around the kickoff window. All sources reference the same England fixture—Wednesday’s match against Croatia—and the same timing for the booking window, limited to arrivals occurring in the two hours before the game. While the outlets describe the overall surge in similar terms, they do not provide additional detail such as the number of pubs involved, the geographic coverage, or the specific baseline period used by Zonal. Overall, the reporting indicates a substantial growth in planned pub attendance in the hours leading up to England’s opener.