Pubs in England and Wales could stay open longer for World Cup 2026
Pubs in England and Wales could stay open until 1am next summer if the host nation reaches the World Cup quarter-finals or further.
The government has launched a six-week public consultation on extending public licensing hours to allow fans to gather and support teams.
The tournament kicks off next June in the US, Canada and Mexico, where time zones are at least five hours behind the UK. The consultation suggests potentially extending semi-final and final licensing times to 01:00 if matches start at 21:00 UK time or earlier.
Home Affairs Minister Shabana Mahmood has the legislative power to extend pubs’ opening hours in cases of “exceptional international, national or local significance”.
These deadlines were previously extended at last year’s Women’s Euro 2025, Men’s Euro 2024 final and Women’s Euro 2022 Final.
In May this year, the opening hours of pubs were also extended to mark the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day.
This extension will only apply to England and Wales as Scotland and Northern Ireland have separate licensing regimes.
The interior minister said: “Pubs in our country are going for extensions. If any country reaches the final stages, we will extend their licensing hours.”
Next year’s tournament will be the first World Cup hosted by three countries.
England and Scotland will find out their group stage opponents in the final draw in Washington DC on Friday.
Wales and Northern Ireland will also have the chance to qualify for the tournament by competing in the play-offs, with a total of 16 teams competing for four places.
Michael Kill, CEO of the Night-Time Industries Association, welcomed the move to allow pubs to remain open afterwards and said: “We believe this consultation is a positive step in ensuring that the hospitality sector can fully contribute to the excitement and economic activity of the country during such a landmark event.”
Emma McClarkin, CEO of the British Beer and Pub Association, said: “The pub is and always will be the home of live sport and there is no better place to gather under one roof and make memories at moments of national importance.”
Kate Nicholls, chief executive of industry group UKHospitality, said: “I am pleased that the government is once again moving towards extended licensing hours… this could provide a real boost for hospitality businesses.”
The consultation will continue until January and a decision will be made by the Home Office as soon as possible after the responses have been reviewed.
