Data tracks the semi-final loss to Argentina and third-place win over France, showing rising spend even on goals against England.
AppsFlyer on July 22, 2026 published new UK app activity data tied to England’s knockout-stage matches in 2026’s biggest global football tournament: a 1-2 semi-final loss to Argentina and a 6-4 win over France in the third-place match.
The company said the UK stood out in its seven-market study as the only market to show app activity spikes in response to its own team scoring during the knockout stage. “England fans lived two entirely different matches on their phones within a week. In the semi-final, activity spiked when England scored, the only time we saw a market react to its own team’s goal in the knockout stage, but the mood shifted fast once Argentina hit back, with fans clearly cooling as the game slipped away. In the third-place match, mobile surged and dipped with every goal in a high-scoring game, keeping engagement elevated throughout. Same fans, same phones, two completely different stories,” said Lex Nakad, GM, EMEA West, AppsFlyer.
AppsFlyer reported that Gordon’s opener in the semi-final drove app activity 21% above normal. Engagement peaked at half-time at 47% above normal, then Argentina’s equalizer triggered a 19% spike. By the time Argentina scored a stoppage-time winner, the reaction had dropped to 6%, which AppsFlyer said indicated deflating interest as the match turned.
In the third-place match, AppsFlyer said activity “surged and dipped with every goal” throughout the ten-goal game, including a 37% spike at the hydration break and a 25% lift “across the goals,” which it attributed to the volume of match action rather than a single moment.
On monetisation, AppsFlyer said purchases increased in both matches: up 31% in the semi-final and 59% in the third-place match. Per-app spend peaked at half-time (19%) in the semi-final and spiked again on Argentina’s late goals (18% to 20% on the equalizer, and 15% on the winner). Streaming was the top-performing category, up 183%. The company also said food delivery behaviour diverged by kickoff time, with activity up 11% pre-kickoff and peaking at 17% at half-time for the 8pm semi-final, but dropping 39% during the 10pm third-place match.
AppsFlyer said the analysis spans seven markets (US, Mexico, Canada, UK, France, Spain, Argentina) and 18 app categories, comparing match-day activity with a matched regular-day baseline at the same local-clock minute. The company noted the underlying app-market data is the United Kingdom (not an “England-only” cut), and that it is not quoting revenue or order size due to outliers.
