In June 2026, the Crown Prosecution Service—the organisation that brings criminal cases in England and Wales—issued a public warning. They said domestic abuse incidents typically rise during the FIFA World Cup and urged victims to come forward and seek help.

This is not the first time they've done this. They released a similar warning during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, saying clearly that "there is no excuse for domestic abuse." The 2026 announcement shows prosecutors believe these major tournaments require active public communication rather than simply monitoring in silence.

Researchers have studied police records during major football matches, particularly when England plays important games. They found domestic abuse reports consistently go up during these events. It happens more after losses and draws than after wins. The cause is not football itself. Instead, it is the combination of things tournaments create: more alcohol being drunk, people feeling intense emotions, and normal home routines being disrupted. The prosecution service tacitly acknowledges this by treating the tournament period as a specific time of higher risk.

Why do prosecutors issue these warnings? There are two main reasons. First, many domestic abuse victims drop their cases or stop cooperating with prosecutors, so keeping victims engaged with the justice system is difficult. A public warning before the tournament tells abusers that police and prosecutors will be paying close attention. It also tries to encourage victims who might not otherwise report abuse to come forward, by showing that authorities take domestic violence seriously.

The 2026 World Cup presents a new challenge. Previous tournaments were held in Europe and lasted four weeks, with matches happening at similar times each day. The 2026 tournament will be spread across the United States, Canada, and Mexico over six weeks, with matches happening at many different times across different time zones. This means the period of stress and disruption will be longer and less predictable than what police and support services have planned for in the past.

Publishing a statement cannot force people to report abuse, and the actual impact of a press release is limited. Research does show, however, that when police and courts visibly increase attention—through publicised prosecutions, awareness campaigns, and more visible police presence—some abusers are deterred, at least to some degree. Whether the 2026 campaign will include extra police or prosecution resources remains unclear from what has been publicly announced.

When the prosecution service issues a public warning, it also creates an official record of its own actions. If abuse reports do not rise and more victims do not come forward—which is what typically happens, because domestic abuse is hugely under-reported even in normal times—prosecutors can point back to this warning and demonstrate they tried. This is not dishonesty; it is how large institutions create accountability by documenting what they did and when they did it.

For charities, police, and hospitals that help abuse victims, this warning means they need to prepare. During the tournament, they will need more helpline staff, more refuge places, and more case workers. The prosecution service's press release only reaches some of the people at risk. The real work happens in the services that support victims day to day.