Figures released today by the Home Office take the total number of football-related arrests and other police actions in England and Wales in the 2025/26 campaign to 2,403
Hundreds of England fans were arrested during the World Cup this summer – though only a handful of those were at the tournament itself.
There were 357 football-related arrests in England and Wales connected to England national team matches during the World Cup, which was held jointly in the USA, Mexico and Canada.
The majority of those domestic arrests were for violent disorder (235), while 105 were for public disorder and 17 were for criminal damage.
Another 16 arrests were made of England fans in the USA and another three in Mexico. None were made in Canada.
Fewer travelling England fans were arrested during this summer’s World Cup than they were in Germany during Euro 2024.
A total of 126 arrests were made involving England fans during the Euros, more than six times as many as in the US and Mexico. There were fewer arrests on the home front during the Euros, though, with 281. There were just five domestic arrests during the Qatar World Cup in 2022, and none over in the Gulf state.
The figures were released today by the Home Office. They take the total number of football-related arrests and other police actions in England and Wales in the 2025/26 campaign to 2,403. That’s up from 2,037 in 2024/25 but is lower than the 2,584 arrests and police actions in 2023/24.
You can see how many arrests and police actions were made of fans of each English and Welsh club by using our interactive table.
As first reported in August, Manchester City’s fans top the list with a total of 103 football-related arrests and police actions last season.
The bulk of those were for public disorder (46), 16 were for entering the stadium with Class A drugs, another 16 for violent disorder, 12 for unauthorised entry, six for alcohol offences, and four for throwing missiles.
Chelsae had the next highest total with 76. They’re followed jointly by Arsenal and Manchester United with 68 each, Millwall with 64, Everton with 63 and Leeds United with 59.
The game that saw the most trouble last season was Chelsea vs Leeds United in the FA Cup at Wembley. The two sides have a bitter rivalry, with the two clubs famously meeting in the brutal 1970 FA Cup final.
Last season’s Wembley showdown saw a total of 41 arrests being made by police.
That’s the same number as were made in the Peterborough versus Cambridge match in October 2022.
The most violent games in the last seven years, however, were the West Brom versus Wolves match in January 202 with 43 arrests, and the Aston Villa versus Legia Warsaw game of November 2023, with 46 arrests.
Those supporters who travelled over to thew World Cup were today praised for their “exemplary” behaviour by Chief Constable Mark Hobrough, the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) lead for football policing, but the conduct of fans back at home, during the World Cup and the 2025-26 domestic season, was much more troubling.
He said: “Though the vast majority of supporters attending domestic fixtures in the UK are law-abiding and enjoy supporting their teams at great games, there still remain an unacceptable number who spoil the event for others.
“2,025 people were arrested for football-related incidents during the domestic season in 2025-26, and disappointingly this number is up from 2,004 in 2024-25.
“In addition, 357 people were arrested in England and Wales for football-related incidents during the 2026 World Cup alone.
“Sadly, these figures do not paint a full picture as they do not include many of the associated offences, such as domestic abuse, which often occur behind closed doors after the full-time whistle has blown and in many cases nowhere near any stadium or club with individuals who’ve not attended any game themselves.
“However, as the figures show, we are continuing to take action against those responsible, and moving forward, we will continue to work with our partners including the Crown Prosecution Service, the Premier League, the EFL and the Football Association to collectively make football a safe environment for the overwhelming majority of supporters who just want to enjoy the game.”