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Pubs allowed to stay open until 5am for England's World Cup clash

The Three Lions face Mexico at 1am on Monday in the World Cup round of 16 after beating the Democratic Republic of the Congo 2-1 in a nail-biting match on Wednesday

Pubs will be allowed to stay open until 5am to let fans watch Englands early morning World Cup clash.

Keir Starmer intervened to let boozers show the Three Lions take on Mexico in the round of 16, which kicks off at 1am on Monday. In a massive boost to the hospitality sector, alcohol licensing rules will be extended so pubs and bars in England and Wales don't need to apply for special late licences.

England's match at the Azteca stadium in Mexico City is expected to finish after 3am, and could run later if it goes to penalties. The football-mad Prime Minister acted to relax licensing laws further to allow all boozers in England and Wales to stay open until the final whistle.

[Calls for pubs to be allowed to open later for England's 1am clash with Mexico have been rejected]

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Calls for pubs to be allowed to open later for England's 1am clash with Mexico have been answered(Image: AFP via Getty Images)

Mr Starmer said: Football might be coming home but we're making sure fans don't have to. "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!

Pub closing times had already been extended to 2am for England's knockout matches that kicked off before 10pm. But the rules didn't apply to Mondays fixture due to the later kick-off.

Individual pubs had to apply to councils for a temporary event notice if they wanted to stay open later - but the deadline had already passed when England defeated Democratic Republic of Congo on Wednesday night.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood will use her legal power to extend licensing hours, which applies on occasions of exceptional international, national or local significance.

[Harry Kane celebrates scoring against the Democratic Republic of Congo with teammate Jude Bellingham]

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Harry Kane celebrates scoring against the Democratic Republic of Congo with teammate Jude Bellingham(Image: Getty Images)

Communities Secretary Steve Reed has written to council leaders informing them of the changes. Before the announcement, he had urged town halls to sign off on pubs extending their hours to allow fans to watch to the end of the match.

Emma McClarkin, CEO of the British Beer and Pub Association, said: "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.

"This tournament is hugely important for our sector, so we're delighted the government listened to our concerns and acted so quickly."

Kate Nicholls, Chair of UKHospitality, said: Englands march towards World Cup glory is something millions of fans want to support.

This very welcome announcement from the government allows those that want to enjoy the game in pubs and other hospitality venues to get together to cheer on our Three Lions.

And Michael Kill, CEO of the Night Time Industries Association (NTIA), said: "Major sporting occasions like this deliver a significant boost to hospitality businesses while creating an atmosphere that unites the country.

"As England heads into one of the biggest games of the tournament, let's get behind the team, support our local venues, and give the country something positive to celebrate."

Last month, Mr Starmer left the door open to granting a bank holiday if England wins the World Cup. Asked if hed give fans a day off, the PM told reporters at the G7 summit last month: I'm not gonna jinx the World Cup but, you know, the last time we won the World Cup it was a Labour government.

And so it's absolutely clear that we only win World Cups under a Labour government. So let's hope that this is the next opportunity."

In 2022, the PM backed calls for the Tory Government to grant an extra bank holiday if the Lionesses won the Euros final. But No10 said on Monday that it would not commit to a bank holiday if England roars to victory.

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