LONDON – As England advances to the World Cup round of 16, the British government has announced a sweeping policy change to grant licensed pubs across England and Wales permission to operate until 5 a.m. during the team’s upcoming match against Mexico, responding to growing public and industry demand for extended viewing hours.
The push for flexible licensing rules gained immediate momentum Thursday, just 24 hours after captain Harry Kane scored two late game-winning goals to secure England a 2-1 knockout round victory over Congo in Atlanta. The round of 16 fixture is scheduled to kick off at 1 a.m. UK time at Mexico City’s iconic Azteca Stadium, with a potential finish time pushing close to 4 a.m. if the match requires extra time and a penalty shootout. Under existing UK licensing legislation, pubs were only permitted to serve patrons until 2 a.m., which would have forced venues to cut off viewing before the final whistle for millions of fans planning to watch the match together.
Speaking on the policy change, Prime Minister Keir Starmer framed the extension as a win for both supporters and local communities. “Football might be coming home but we’re making sure fans don’t have to,” Starmer said. “Pubs staying open till the final whistle is good news for supporters and good news for the pubs and venues that bring our communities together. The whole country will be backing the team. Come on England!”
Unlike one-off extended licensing arrangements that require individual venues to submit separate applications for approval, this blanket government exemption eliminates all administrative barriers for operators in England and Wales. The policy change does not extend to pubs in Scotland or Northern Ireland, which retain their existing local licensing rules for the match.
The announcement has been broadly welcomed by Britain’s hospitality and pub industry, which has already seen a major revenue boost from live broadcasts of the World Cup, held across venues in North America. Michael Kill, chief executive of the Night Time Industries Association, praised the government’s pragmatic approach. “Major sporting occasions like this deliver a significant boost to hospitality businesses while creating an atmosphere that unites the country,” Kill noted. “This allows venues to focus on what matters most: bringing communities together to support the national team.”
Emma McClarkin, chief executive of the British Beer and Pub Association, echoed that enthusiasm, saying “pubs and fans will be over the moon about this decision, because we all know the best place to watch the match is down the local.”
In a secondary move aligned with public excitement for the fixture, the government has also confirmed that schoolchildren will be allowed to watch the early-morning match while still meeting attendance requirements for Monday classes. The call to accommodate young fans came from England’s German head coach Thomas Tuchel, who publicly urged schools and parents to grant children an excused absence adjustment to watch the game.
“It’s a late game, but children can be in school the next day,” Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson confirmed, backing Tuchel’s appeal. Tuchel had previously encouraged parents after England’s win over Congo to “write an excuse for school and let them watch football. Come on. There’s so much school to go to, but the World Cup is every four years. Let them watch. There will be a big, big match on in four days and we need the support of everyone, and especially of the children.”