Football’s coming home…in investor pockets: almost a third (30%) of DIY investors are looking to score from the World Cup

As England prepares for its semi-final football match against Argentina, new research from Charles Stanley Direct, part of Raymond James, reveals that almost a third (30%) of DIY investors are looking to capitalise on the investment opportunity from the World Cup.

With what has been a nail-biting tournament so far, the quarter-final is expected to generate a £500m sales boost for UK economy.* But it’s not just fans that will have eyes glued to screens. Investing in sports, such as football, has increasingly garnered interest from retail investors and become a major institutional asset class, driven by such things as surging media rights, stadium real estate, and private equity.

As nations continue to cheer on their sports teams as the World Cup goes on, research from Charles Stanley Direct found:

• 31% of DIY investors invest in sports or sports clubs they are a personal fan of
  • This increases for Gen Z and Millennials alike, with 50% and 44% respectively confirming this
• 31% invest in sport events indirectly through infrastructure / retail / media
• 27% of investors say they invest in sports directly (i.e holding sports stocks)
• A quarter (24%) of investors say part of their portfolio is weighted in sport as an asset class, whether it’s football, tennis, or Formula 1
• 27% say they follow sports or league tables more because of the investments they hold than being a fan

While many look to capitalise on the investment opportunities, there are those who are more wary of the asset class.

• 52% of DIY investors believe investing in sport is too risky
• 39% would rather buy sport collectibles and merchandise than invest in football clubs directly
• 27% say they play Fantasy Football to win money, using an alternative way to capitalise on sports

Rob Morgan, Chief Investment Analyst at Charles Stanley Direct, part of Raymond James, comments: “With the semi-final looming, England fans will be rooting for the team to claim another victory. Football is big business, and the World Cup even more so with so much emotional investment from fans in reaching the final. But investors are clearly looking for more as sports investment has increasingly gained popularity as an asset class. Whether it’s investing in local sports clubs or indirectly through infrastructure, fans and investors alike will be looking at how the team and portfolios can bring it home to win!”

Is your investment portfolio constructed like a winning World Cup team?

The 2026 Fifa World Cup has kept its promise of being an exciting tournament, and for England, consistency has been the key to success – much as it is when it comes to investing. With England approaching the semi-final, Rob considers whether your investment portfolio is constructed like a winning World Cup team.

Central midfield: Midfielders are all-rounders and must regularly be involved in both attacking and defensive roles. Their utility is rather like the role of broad global equity investments, providing the exposure to share markets that helps propel long term returns with little fuss.

A defensive midfielder might equate in a portfolio to global equity income funds that invest in more stable, dividend paying shares that tend to provide more dependable returns aided by regular income. Meanwhile, a more probing, attacking midfielder skilled at unpicking defences, might represent a more growth-orientated strategy.

Defence: Defenders won’t typically be the most skilful players on the pitch. Instead, they need to be steadfast to prevent opposition goals and provide a platform on which the team can play out from the back.

More dependable and defensive investments such as bonds play a similar role in a portfolio. Often it is safer and more predictable to lend to a business through bonds than be a part owner through shares. Although returns from bonds in the form of interest payments can be unexciting, they can provide steady, incremental returns and a relative anchor compared with riskier share-based investments.

Defenders can occasionally pop up with goals for the team too – a bullet header from a corner can change the game when the strikers aren’t firing. Likewise, bonds could provide stronger returns for investors should inflation be tamed quicker than anticipated, keeping interest rates lower.

Striker: A team comprised of only strikers would lead to footballing disaster, and similarly investors need to avoid fielding eleven Harry Kanes on the pitch. There should only be a modicum of higher risk, specialist investments in a portfolio.

Yet for longer term investors happy with the risks some exposure to some structural growth themes such as technology or emerging healthcare could help capitalise on particular opportunities and drive returns. Well-timed individual flair in and around the box can make all the difference.

Goalkeeper: All successful teams need a confident and capable keeper between the sticks, just like all financial plans need a cash reserve to fall back on. You never know what is around the corner and even in the most secure situations there could be a need to dip into cash reserves. You don’t want to have to sell investments or, even worse, borrow money in the event of an emergency such as an urgent car or home repair.

The extent of the shot stopping prowess you’ll need depends on how leaky your defence is – what could go wrong and by how much? As a rule of thumb, you should keep enough to pay your essential expenses for three to six months in case of unemployment or ill health. You should be able to cover costs like energy, mortgage or rent, travel and food costs. But every situation is different. You might need more if it’s hard getting work in your area of expertise, or if you have potentially costly family or other commitments.

Remember, you’ll need to ensure your emergency fund is easy to access. You can earn a decent interest on this balance in a savings account by shopping around, but don’t be tempted by a fixed-term interest rate or accounts with long notice periods for this purpose. Money locked away for a year is no good when you need cash quickly.