England’s World Cup clash with Ghana caused a temporary drop in email activity before sparking a 50% surge in late-night sending as the game finished, according to new data from web hosting provider 20i.
Analysis of email activity across 20i’s platform found that fans appeared to step away from their inboxes during the match, before returning to catch up on messages once the final whistle had blown.
Between 10:30pm and 11:00pm following the match, email volumes were around 50% higher than the previous day, Monday 22nd June, suggesting many people delayed their digital tasks to go and watch the Three Lions before returning online afterwards.
The pattern follows similar behaviour seen on web traffic during the game, where online activity dipped by 25% during the match before rebounding once play had ended.
Lloyd Cobb, director at 20i, said:
“England matches continue to have a noticeable impact on UK workers’ screen time. While fans put their usual online activity on hold to watch the game, the increase in email activity afterwards suggests many returned to their inboxes once the match had finished. Despite the late kick-off, this could imply that fans logged off work earlier than usual to head to watch the match, before then logging back on after the 0-0 draw.
“For businesses, these moments highlight the importance of understanding changing digital behaviours during major events, ensuring online services can cope with sudden shifts in demand.”
20i analysed internal email activity data following England’s World Cup fixture against Ghana on 24 June 2026. Email volumes between 10:30pm and 11:00pm were compared against typical activity levels during the day previously.
Data correct as of 24 June 2026.
Learn more at www.20i.com.
