Wimbledon Maintains Strict No-Football Policy During World Cup
Sally Bolton, chief executive of the All-England Club, has confirmed that Wimbledon will extend its ban on broadcasting World Cup matches to include the players’ lounge. This marks the first Wimbledon tournament coinciding with a men’s World Cup since 2018, when England reached the semi-finals, and the club will uphold its strict no-football policy throughout the event.
None of the tournament’s big screens will display the knockout stages of the World Cup. England supporters hoping to watch the last-32 match against the Democratic Republic of the Congo, scheduled for 5pm BST on Wednesday, will need to view it discreetly on their personal devices.
“We’re not going to be showing the football on any of the big screens around the ground,”
said Bolton.“But clearly, if people have got their phones, then we’re not going to prevent people from watching the football.”
However, a more stringent approach will be enforced in the prestigious areas of Centre Court. Bolton added,
“We do discourage people from using their phones in the Royal Box.”
There are 17 World Cup matches scheduled at times that could overlap with Wimbledon matches. Despite media reports suggesting players have requested not to play during their home country’s World Cup games, Bolton clarified that no such requests have been made.
“So far we haven’t had any of those requests,”
she said.“I’m conscious some people have suggested that in the media. But they certainly haven’t made any requests to the referees’ officer.”
Regarding the players’ lounge, Bolton confirmed,
“We’re not showing the World Cup on any of the TVs in the grounds. If people want to watch it on their phones, that’s fine.”
Past Incidents and Player Reactions
Two years ago, during England’s Euro 2024 penalty shootout against Switzerland, play was briefly disrupted as fans watched the action on their phones within Centre Court. Novak Djokovic reacted with a smile and humorously mimicked taking a penalty kick, while Alexei Popyrin gestured as if making a save.
Reflecting on that experience on Sunday, Djokovic remarked,
“It’s been a few times with European Championships and World Cups in the past where there were particularly interesting matches. I would be last on Centre Court and England would be playing. That was quite the experience for me on court.”
