WWE is scheduled to hold a television taping for an upcoming episode of SmackDown on Tuesday, June 23rd, at the O2 Arena in London, England.
This event will take place one night after RAW airs live on Netflix from the same venue. Normally, this wouldn’t pose a problem for WWE, as London fans are known for their dedication. However, a significant event occurs that same night, which will capture their attention.
The World Cup starts this week, and it attracts global interest, particularly in England. English football (or soccer, as it’s known in the U.S.) fans are passionate about their national team and will prioritize watching the matches above other activities.
Unfortunately for WWE, England’s second World Cup game will coincide with the SmackDown taping, as they face Ghana at 9:00 PM BST, directly overlapping the taping time.
As a result, ticket sales for this SmackDown event have been historically low, with WrestleTix reporting that 4,483 tickets have been sold so far, adding just 583 tickets over the past week. This figure is significantly lower compared to the last time WWE held a show at the O2, back in March 2025, when 16,276 tickets were sold for a RAW taping featuring John Cena’s final WWE appearance in the U.K.
In contrast, ticket sales for RAW the night before are performing much better. This suggests that the combination of the World Cup and the SmackDown brand’s lower draw than RAW is making ticket sales more challenging than usual.
