Today I’m sharing some fun things to do before the World Cup 2026 chaos starts. It’s no secret that I’m a football fan. My late dad was a huge Manchester United fan, so it wasn’t a surprise to anyone when this daddy’s girl also became a huge football fan! With that in mind, I have spent many years planning fun things to do when England are gearing up to represent our country in the world cup. So keep reading for some ideas of fun things to do before the World Cup 2026 chaos begins…
Plan a Workplace Sweepstake
There are 48 teams competing in World Cup 2026, a huge increase from the traditional 32 teams. This means that the workplace sweepstake prize is bigger than ever. When I worked in a call centre, a team mate arranged a sweepstake where everyone paid £5 then drew a team from a hat. That meant £160 was paid in, and the teams that came in the top 4 each got a cash payout… (4th place got £10, 3rd place got £20, 2nd place got £30 and 1st place got £100).
This meant everyone was keeping tabs on the matches and cheering for teams other than England to win. It added some real diversity to proceedings and also boosted team morale. If you want to arrange one for your workplace ahead of World Cup 2026, there’s plenty of free resources online to help. Alternatively, you could just place a world cup 2026 bet a https://1xbet.ie/en/line/football instead!
Buy Plenty of Bunting
I am English, but my late mum was Scottish, and Scotland have qualified this time. (Largely because of the 48-team intake, but we will keep quiet about that). My mum loved to fly the scottish flag, so I will of course be keeping her memory (and my heritage) alive by flying both English and Scottish flags during world cup 2026.
If funds are low, you can always get the kids to make their own flags with A4 paper, felt tip pens, and a ruler! I got the kids to make their own bunting once by cutting A4 paper into triangles, drawing flags on, then stapling them to string before hanging it.
Arrange a Family Friendly World Cup Watch Party
Why not plan ahead and fire up the BBQ for England vs Panama on Saturday 27th June? It’s a 10pm BST kick-off, so a 5pm start would mean everyone can be fed and watered before kick-off. If you want it to be a family-friendly event, it might be a good idea to have plenty of blankets and a designated chill out area for younger guests to snooze, when they are inevitably nodding off due to the late hour.
When my auntie used to host a BBQ for a late night sporting event like this, she used to pitch a tent in the garden for all of us kids. We’d all be so excited about “camping out”, that most of us wouldn’t even watch the match in the end! This was great news for the grown – ups though, as they got to enjoy uninterrupted viewing!
Buy a Football Shirt
If you want to cheer on England during World Cup 2026, don’t forget to get yourself a football shirt. Supermarkets have plenty of “England” tops for under £10, so you don’t need to pay the £90 RRP for the 2026 official England team jersey.
I have a vacuum bag in the loft which is crammed with “England” merch, so I won’t need to buy more this year. It’s worth remembering to vacuum pack your family’s England items after the world cup, if you want to keep them safe until 2028, when you’ll need them next!
Teach Everyone the Off-Side Rule
The final fun thing to do before World Cup 2026 is to make sure your household all know the off-side rule. My dad taught me the off-side rule when I was about 7 years old, and I have silenced plenty of men over the years, who sneered at a woman daring to claim she knew plenty about football.
In case you were wondering… According to FIFA, “a player is considered off-side in football if any part of their head, body, or feet is closer to the opponent’s goal-line than both the second-last opponent, and the ball, at the moment the ball is played”. Trust me when I say your kids will thank you for it!
Final Thoughts on Fun things to do before World Cup 2026
So there you have it! You now have 5 fun things to do, before the World Cup 2026 chaos begins. I hope these ideas have given you some inspiration ahead of your own celebrations. Finally, let me know in the comments if you have any more suggestions of fun things to do before World Cup 2026.
