The number alone is the story.
For years, banning orders were associated mainly with old-fashioned hooliganism. That picture appears to be changing. The latest update says the net now stretches further, covering a wider range of offending linked to the game.
One reason the total appears to have climbed is that football-related offending is no longer being treated narrowly.
The report says recent arrest data now includes:
That matters because it shifts the focus from stadium violence alone to behaviour around the wider football environment. The disorder seen after England’s penalty shootout defeat to Italy at the delayed Euro 2021 final remains part of that backdrop, and authorities appear to have built policy around the lesson that major tournaments can amplify existing problems.
The update says supporters covered by banning orders have been told to surrender passports during the tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico, with border controls and airport checks also expected to be used. That is a far more direct intervention than simply monitoring fans at grounds.
The next question is whether the harder line reduces trouble or merely expands the scope of enforcement. Either way, when England head into the World Cup, one of the biggest stories may sit well beyond the touchline.