When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works .
Copy link
At 7.05pm on July 11, 2018 moisture filled the air across England, and it wasn’t low pressure from the North Atlantic sweeping in to ruin yet another English summer.
No, Kieran Trippier had just scored a freekick to put England in front vs Croatia in the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup and large portions of the 26.6 million people watching indulged in a new craze sweeping the nation: pint chucking.
I was watching in Central London at Flat Iron Square , arguably the birthplace of the football pint chuck. The casual food and drink venue was transformed into a World Cup bearpit during the summer of 2018, and it was absolutely fantastic.
The setup was perfect: space, food stalls, transport links, multiple bars, multiple screens, including a giant one in front of an open-air space that allowed for maximum orbit when launching your pint.
But why would anyone launch a full pint? Especially in London, where the price continues to creep worryingly away from £5, and closer to 10.
Read on for my theory...
The day before England played Panama in their second group game at World Cup 2018 a heatwave hit Britain. Average temperatures were the highest on record.
The best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week.
Technology was advancing at breakneck speed: the concept of high definition had leapt from the living room to the outdoor screen, meaning you could visit a fan park and watch football on a giant screen, with audible commentary, and the picture didn’t resemble EA Sports FIFA ‘98 Road To The World Cup .
Promoters and venues took advantage of this. Little did they know they would hit upon a business model where people would pay in, pay for drinks, throw them in the air, then promptly order more.
Plastic glasses have always been a thing, but they play an important role in the phenomenon of England game pint chucking. Watching football en masse necessitates the plastic glass, for obvious reasons.
Still with me? Just a few more factors to run through.
Social media. Images and footage of fans throwing pints during Russia 2018 went viral. They were in the news , on Twitter, Instagram, WhatsApp groups were full of them. The England team's official social media account shared them. England players in Russia were shown them.
Fans around the country who were gathered in similar Fan Parks wanted in on the fun. When England scored at the 2018 World Cup and you were watching at a busy Fan Park, the thought crossed your mind: “Harry Kane could see this”. Before you knew it, you were drenched in Heineken.
To recap the formula: hot weather, high definition big screens, the safety net of plastic glass, social media. Now for the secret ingredient: euphoria.
Prior to England’s 2018 World Cup run, there hadn’t been anything worth chucking a pint in the air for when watching the Three Lions at a major tournament.
Maybe Daniel Sturridge’s injury-time winner vs Wales at Euro 2016 (but Gareth Bale and co very much had the last laugh that summer), Raheem Sterling ‘scoring’ at Brazil 2014? (Replays showed he hit the side netting). There was nothing good to pint lob over at Euro 2012 , or South Africa 2010 . In 2008, England didn’t qualify; Germany 2006 was a huge let-down. You have to go back to a pre-social media era to find a moment at a summer football tournament worth losing a pint over.
Not much can match the euphoria of celebrating an important England goal, knowing most of the country is doing the same thing. Add in friends, family and balding strangers, and you can really lose control. When it happens, you hold on until the tremors stop. You need both hands. A cup of liquid is the last thing you need. It had to go, and in the summer of 2018, it did. High, with pride.
Here's the England fans celebrating that very goal in Hyde Park. There will never be more beer thrown in one place, at one time, ever again. LIMBSSSSSSS. pic.twitter.com/UoB9vLlLRb July 11, 2019
Here's the England fans celebrating that very goal in Hyde Park. There will never be more beer thrown in one place, at one time, ever again. LIMBSSSSSSS. pic.twitter.com/UoB9vLlLRb July 11, 2019
Kieran Trippier, over the wall
By the 2018 semi-final, people were showing up to fan parks in those disposable waterproof ponchos, such was the volume of aerial lager. Looking back at footage of fans celebrating Kieran Trippier’s early semi-final goal, it doesn't look real. It feels staged.
But it was very real. It's comical how many plastic cups fill the air. But that was the new norm, the cameras were ready, pointing at the crowd for that exact moment. It was wet and wild – a new craze was born.
No other fan base chucks fans like England. A strange thing to type. But like it or not, pint chucking is officially ‘a thing’.
I was at Netherlands 2-0 England in 1993 - and it was one of the maddest Three Lions away days of my life Le Tournoi, 27 years on: When England last won a tournament
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
1 Why do England fans throw beer?
2 How many matches has Gianni Infantino attended at the 2026 World Cup?
3 Arsenal prioritise Morgan Rogers transfer with Aston Villa backed into a financial corner
4 Manchester United still pursuing Alex Scott despite Bournemouth stance
5 Quickfire Quiz 157: Can you answer 10 questions in 90 seconds?