Wimbledon shares a statement about letting fans watch the World Cup while David Beckham is there
Wimbledon fans and VIPs have been asked not to watch the World Cup while enjoying the tennis tournament.
While most sports lovers around the world will be glued to the exciting World Cup knockout matches in North America, many will also be following Wimbledon in South West London.
Wimbledon kicked off less than 24 hours after the first World Cup knockout game, running for 14 days from Monday, June 29, to Sunday, July 12. Every year, over half a million people come to watch top tennis stars compete for one of the sport’s biggest trophies. The event also draws plenty of celebrities and VIP guests.
On the first day, England and Manchester United legend Sir David Beckham was spotted in the royal box on Centre Court, enjoying the match alongside his mum. Beckham, who flew in from the US where he has been seen at several World Cup games, along with thousands of other fans, will likely want to stay updated on the football matches during Wimbledon.
Unfortunately for them, Wimbledon’s chief executive, Sally Bolton OBE, confirmed that World Cup games won’t be shown on any big screens around the tennis grounds. She added that VIPs, including those in the royal box, are discouraged from using their phones to watch the football.
“We’re not going to be showing football on the big screens,” said Bolton. “But if people have phones, we won’t stop them from watching.”
When asked about VIPs like Beckham watching on phones, she added, “We do discourage people in the royal box from using their phones anyway.”
This might disappoint England fans attending Wimbledon on Wednesday, as some tennis matches, like world No.1 Jannik Sinner’s second round, could clash with England’s World Cup match against DR Congo, which starts at 5:00 PM BST in Georgia.
Despite Bolton’s wishes, it will probably be hard to stop fans from catching the football, just like during England’s penalty shootout against Switzerland at Euro 2024, when play at Centre Court briefly stopped as Novak Djokovic and Alexei Popyrin playfully acted out penalties to the fans’ delight.
Other celebrities spotted on Wimbledon’s opening day included Sir Cliff Richard, Tess Daly, Niall Horan, and Dame Mary Berry.
Princess Kate Middleton, who is the official Patron of the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) and its charity, the LTA Foundation, will be attending Wimbledon with other royals.
While it’s hard to say who else will show up this year, stars like Sir Lewis Hamilton, Tom Cruise, Zendaya, Tom Holland, and Olivia Rodrigo have all been seen at Centre Court in past years.