Our newest survey reveals England fans’ lucky charms and rituals for the Euros.
From wearing lucky socks to flat-out refusing to wash, England football fans can be a superstitious bunch, especially during the Euros 2024 tournament.
With 37% of football fans admitting to feeling nervous for the group stages, and this continuing to increase until the final, Euro 2024 odds site Betway surveyed 2,000 England football fans to see how they will be combating the nerves.
From saying a prayer to having a lucky football scarf our latest survey reveals England fans’ most common (and most bizarre) rituals and lucky charms used to calm their nerves and bring good luck to the squad this year.
England footie fans’ 10 most common match day rituals
|
Rank |
Ritual |
Percentage of fans who do this |
|
1 |
Saying a prayer |
22.2% |
|
2 |
Wearing a certain sports shirt or jersey |
22.1% |
|
3 |
Sitting in the same spot |
20.4% |
|
4 |
Kissing the badge or emblem of the team |
19.5% |
|
5 |
Wearing a specific outfit |
19.3% |
|
6 |
Superstitious actions e.g knocking on wood or crossing fingers |
16.3% |
|
7 |
Putting on a pair of lucky socks |
16.2% |
|
8 |
Wearing a lucky scarf |
16.0% |
|
9 |
Watching the game at a ‘lucky’ pub |
14.5% |
|
10 |
Eating a ‘lucky’ meal before a game |
14.5% |
Saying a prayer
Perhaps unsurprisingly, praying is the most common ritual for fans before an important football game. Nearly a quarter (22.2%) of fans admit to calling on a higher power before a big match in the hopes that it will bring their team success. The survey revealed that 30.4% of fans in Leeds are pre-match praying, the most out of any city in the country.
Wearing a certain sports shirt or jersey
Over one in five (22.1%) of those surveyed said they wear a specific sports shirt or jersey to bring good luck to their team.
This is the most popular ritual for fans in Newcastle, with one in three (33.3%) fans here admitting they put on a certain shirt before an important game. On the other hand, people from Birmingham are the most unlikely to do this, with only 13.3% of people admitting to wearing a certain sports shirt during a match.
Sitting in the same spot
Claiming third place is perhaps a more methodical ritual: sitting in the exact same spot during every game. One in five fans say they claim a specific seat to help the team bring home the trophy. People in Norwich practise this ritual most, with a quarter (25.6%) of fans saying they have their own lucky seat.
Kissing the team’s badge or emblem
Kissing a team emblem is a long-standing tradition among football fans, which our survey revealed 19.5% of England fans partake in. It is most popular in Bristol, where 24.5% of respondents reported puckering up to the England logo before every game, compared to only 4.2% of fans in Plymouth.
Wearing a specific outfit
Wearing a ‘lucky outfit’ is the fifth most common match day ritual, with 19.3% reporting wearing special attire for an important game.
Fans in Nottingham are dressing for luck the most, with 27.7% saying they have a particular football outfit that will increase the chances of it coming home. The fans that practise this ritual the least are those in Brighton, with only 10% voting for this one.
Other honourable mentions in our list of match-day rituals include wearing lucky underwear and putting clothing on in a specific order. These are the most popular rituals for fans in Nottingham, with 23.1% and 27.7% of fans voting for them respectively. Other fans use visualisation and meditation to bring good luck to their team, a method most common among fans from Liverpool (18.2%).
Some fans are even refusing to wash during the tournament. Notably, one in ten (10.7%) football fans in London say they don’t shower during the duration of the tournament (yes — that’s an entire month) to bring England a bout of good luck.
Game-day charms: The 10 luckiest objects for the Euros
It’s not just rituals that fans are relying on to help the England team take home the trophy. We also delved into the objects that fans have to bring luck to their team.
|
Rank |
Lucky charm |
Percentage of fans who have this lucky item |
|
1 |
Football shirt |
35.2% |
|
2 |
Football scarf |
24.0% |
|
3 |
Football hat |
19.7% |
|
4 |
Socks |
19.4% |
|
5 |
Jewellery |
16.0% |
|
6 |
Keychain |
15.2% |
|
7 |
Teddy bear |
15.0% |
|
8 |
Coins |
14.2% |
|
9 |
Photographs |
12.3% |
|
10 |
Stone or crystal |
10.9% |
Fittingly, a football shirt tops the list. 35.2% of fans admitted to having a specific shirt as a lucky charm during an important Euros match. Fans in Southampton are most likely to have one, with 46.3% of fans here admitting to doing so.
A football scarf comes next, with just under a quarter (24%) of all football fans voting for this. England fans in Nottingham are the most likely to find solace in a lucky scarf during a big game, with 30.4% voting for this.
Items of clothing seem to be popular lucky charms, with 19.7% of fans say their lucky charm is a football hat. 19.4% of fans also have lucky socks, and a further 16% admit to turning to jewellery for luck.
Having a plant or flower, like a four-leaf clover, is the least popular lucky charm among England fans, with only 7.4% of admitting to having one. However, it’s the most popular in London with one in ten (11.3%) turning to nature to bring good luck.
Which rituals and charms are you turning to to bring luck to the squad this tournament?
Methodology
Survey was conducted with 2,128 England Football Fans aged 18+. The survey was conducted in May 2024.
