Sunderland tops England’s football engagement rankings ahead of World Cup

Panolytica’s new Football Engagement Index names Sunderland England’s most football-engaged city ahead of the World Cup, ahead of Liverpool, Manchester and London. The findings point to industrial communities as the strongest centers of football culture, with local identity and matchday rituals driving engagement.

Why it matters: - Panolytica’s ranking suggests football passion in England is shaped more by local identity than by big-city status. - The results point to industrial communities as the places where football is most embedded in everyday life. - The findings may challenge the assumption that the largest and wealthiest urban centres are the country’s strongest football markets.

What happened: - Sunderland was named England’s most football-engaged city in new research from consumer analytics firm Panolytica. - The Football Engagement Index ranked Sunderland above Liverpool, Manchester and London. - Panolytica released the findings ahead of the World Cup. - The top three locations were Sunderland, Oldham and Wolverhampton.

The details: - The index is based on millions of behavioural, media consumption and spending data points. - Panolytica said the analysis measures where football is most deeply embedded in daily life and local culture. - Sunderland scored 119, Oldham 113 and Wolverhampton 112. - Liverpool also scored 112. - Wigan, Bradford, Sheffield and Blackburn each scored 111. - Hull scored 110 and Bolton scored 109. - London and Manchester did not appear in the top 10. - Panolytica said the strongest-engagement locations tend to share industrial heritage, including shipbuilding, coal mining and manufacturing. - The company said those industries have declined, but football remains central to community life in those places. - The index includes sports media consumption, football-related digital engagement, live viewing habits and spending patterns. - The strongest engagement levels appeared in areas with close-knit communities and strong local identities. - Panolytica’s Martin Taylor said football is strongest where it forms part of the social fabric, and that matchday remains a shared ritual in many places. - Taylor said clubs sit at the heart of local identity. - Taylor said that if football is coming home this World Cup, the data suggests home is Sunderland. - Panolytica included a LinkedIn link in its release: the company’s social page

Between the lines: - The ranking implies football engagement is not just about population size, commercial reach or national profile. - The absence of London and Manchester underscores how local traditions and shared history can outweigh global visibility in shaping fan intensity. - The results also suggest football remains a durable cultural anchor in cities that lost their industrial base.

What’s next: - Panolytica’s index could become a reference point for brands, clubs and media looking to understand where football engagement is deepest. - The World Cup will likely intensify attention on how football identity differs across England’s cities and towns. - The data may also fuel debate over how to measure fandom beyond attendance and broadcast audiences.