According to a recent poll, 25% of Scots want England to perform poorly at the World Cup, whereas only 2% say the same of Wales.
According to a YouGov poll, 40% of people wanted Wales to succeed but only 18% felt the same of England.
There was “significantly more goodwill for the Welsh team” than there was for England, according to YouGov’s Head of Data Journalism Matthew Smith.
Fewer Scots support the Welsh team than the English team, in sharp contrast.
Despite being in the same group, Wales wasn’t particularly despised by England supporters. Only 5% of people want Wales to perform poorly, 9% indicated they will support Wales, and 35% want Wales to succeed despite not doing so.
Four out of ten Welsh supporters, including 17% who will be actively supporting the Three Lions, said they wanted them to succeed. However, 16% of Welsh people stated they wanted England to perform poorly.
According to Matthew Smith, a quarter of non-football fans in Wales will nevertheless cheer on their country at the World Cup.
“While many people are generally turned off football, the World Cup has a way of stirring national pride,” he said.
“This is particularly the case in Wales this year. With the last, and only, other time the Welsh team have qualified for the World Cup being in 1958, this year’s tournament has captured the imagination of those in Wales who don’t normally care for the sport.
“As many as 24% of Welsh people who say they are “not at all” interested in football say they will be supporting the Wales team at the tournament, and another 41% want them to do well. Only 23% seem disinterested.
“By contrast, in England – whose presence at the World Cup is a much more common occurrence – there is more muted enthusiasm among those who aren’t interested in football.
“Nevertheless, one in seven of this group (14%) still say they will support the England team, and 35% want them to do well. One in three (35%) don’t care how England do.”
