England fans leave Wimbledon in their droves to watch crunch World Cup match
England fans leave Wimbledon in their droves to watch Three Lions crunch World Cup tie
The All England Club has a long-standing policy to not play World Cup matches.
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Add us as preferred source Comments By James Knuckey 18:22, Wed, Jul 1, 2026 Updated: 18:25, Wed, Jul 1, 2026 
An exodus of England fans from Wimbledon left hundreds of seats empty at Centre Court as they ditched the tennis for the World Cup. A number of spectators inside Wimbledon’s main court could be seen watching England take on DR Congo on their phones as Barbora Krejčíková faced French Open champion Mirra Andreeva.
Lines for seats at courts across Wimbledon had subsided in the buildup to the Three Lions’ last 32 crunch tie in Atlanta, USA. A staff member said the queue for one court was “definitely shorter” about an hour before Thomas Tuchel's men kicked off, adding it usually went around the corner. The number of people basking in the sun on Henman Hill had also dissipated, it is claimed, while one of the main bars was said to be quiet.
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The wait for Court 3 — featuring 19-year-old rising star Joao Fonseca — was also believed to be smaller than previous times.
Many queueing were Brazilian, hoping to catch a glimpse of their compatriot in action.
The line for the queue had earlier stretched past a number of courts, but by around 4pm, it was significantly smaller.
At a similar time, there was no queue for Court 12 and large groups of people could be seen leaving the grounds to watch the match nearby.
The All England Club has a football blackout in place across Wimbledon, including the players’ lounge.
However, Chief Executive Sally Bolton on Monday confirmed it would not “prevent” people from watching the action on their phones.
England fan Guy McQueen, who was wearing a Three Lions shirt, was tuned in on his phone inside the grounds just as DR Congo took a 1-0 lead.
He said: “We’d been watching tennis all day, so we felt it was fine just to take a little break.”
The 29-year-old said he believed Wimbledon’s football policy was “fair”, adding: “I was actually surprised, there’s not many people actually here wearing any football shirts.”
Nearby, fellow supporter Daryl Bleach, 41, gave a worrying omen. He said: “The last time I came here, we played Iceland in the Euros and we lost!”
Marek Maynard, 35, said he will “likely” watch on his phone during the tennis but said no football policy at Wimbledon had “split the crowd”.
Adam Porter, 25, who was on Henman Hill before the game kicked off, said he planned to watch on his phone.
He said: “I think they probably could [show the match], considering it’s a World Cup, it’s a tournament that happens once every four years.
“I probably think they could show it, even if it’s not on one of the main screens.”
The 2026 World Cup is the first to coincide with Wimbledon since the 2018 tournament held in Russia, when England reached the semi-finals.
Badenoch blasts 'moaning' female Labour MPs over Burnham jobs 'quota'
Kemi Badenoch has told Labour women to earn a job in Andy Burnham's Cabinet instead of demanding they are handed jobs because of their gender.
The Tory leader lashed out today amid reports that female MPs are demanding the de-facto new prime minister introduce a 50:50 gender split 'quota' in his government.
Amid reports that former foreign secretary David Miliband is being lined up to return to the role, possibly with his brother Ed as Chancellor, one female minister also complained that Burnham could not have 'more Milibands than women' in the top posts.
But in a scathing article in the Times today Mrs Badenoch told them to 'stop moaning' and get chosen on merit instead of retreating into 'more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country'.
'There are many, many reasons why you shouldn't have any Milibands in the cabinet,' she said.
'But complaining that the boys haven't given them the right jobs or that the boys are taking all the jobs, just shows that Labour's women still don't get it.'
The idea of quotas was also attacked by Baroness Jacqui Smith, Labour's Skills Minister.
Asked by Times Radio if Mr Burnham should reserve jobs for women, she said: 'No, I think what Andy Burnham should be doing is building the very best team around him to change this country.'
A letter written by the Women's Parliamentary Labour Party has called on Mr Burnham to ensure a 50:50 split between men and women in government jobs
Amid reports that former foreign secretary David Miliband (above, right, in 2010) is being lined up to return to the role, possibly with his brother Ed as Chancellor, one female minister complained that Burnham could not have 'more Milibands than women' in the top posts
But Mrs Badenoch told them to pipe down and get chosen on merit instead of retreating into 'more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country'
A letter written by the Women's Parliamentary Labour Party and seen by the BBC has called on Mr Burnham to ensure a 50:50 split between men and women in government jobs after he succeeds Sir Keir Starmer.
'We are asking you to demonstrate this change from day one and address the toxicity and misogyny within our own party and government,' it said.
Labour has never had a female leader, while the Conservatives have had three, and Mrs Badenoch urged the government to follow its meritocratic example.
'If you run a meritocracy, then you do not have to worry about jobs for the boys,' she wrote.
'Every woman who is a Conservative MP, every woman who has ever won the leadership, has had to fight to get where she is.
'By contrast, Labour women are demanding guarantees from Burnham. But the truth is he doesn't have to give any guarantees.
'If none of Labour's women are prepared to get their hands dirty and challenge him for the leadership, their demands are toothless.'
'In fact, it's quite revealing that the women's parliamentary Labour Party has written to Burnham asking him to commit himself to at least 50 per cent female ministers.
'This has nothing to do with meritocracy. It is yet more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country.'
