Record Number of English Football Matches Flagged for Police Incidents in 2025-26

A Home Office report released on Thursday shows police incidents were reported at 1,644 football matches in England and Wales during the 2025-26 season, a 4% rise on the previous year and a record high. Arrests, however, continued to return toward pre-Covid levels, with four arrests recorded for every 100,000 attendees. Police have called on English clubs to do more to ease the security burden on taxpayers.