UK pubs granted 5am licence extension for England's World Cup clash with Mexico

Pubs in England and Wales have been granted permission to stay open until 5am on Monday morning after Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer extended licensing hours to cover England’s World Cup 2026 last-16 fixture against Mexico, which kicks off at 1am BST at Mexico City’s Estadio Azteca.

The government had already relaxed licensing laws for the tournament, allowing venues to remain open until 1am for games kicking off between 5pm and 9pm BST, and until 2am for matches starting after 9pm. England’s latest fixture of the tournament to that point had been their Group L finale against Panama, which began at 10pm BST.

The initial 2am limit would have meant pubs closing before the match was guaranteed to finish — a game that runs to extra time and penalties could last until as late as 4am BST. Starmer announced the three-hour extension on Thursday afternoon, saying: “We’re making sure that pubs can stay open early on Monday morning for the England game. I know lots of people are making their plans — if you’re planning to watch it in the pub, that is great, and it’s really good for pubs as well. So, come on England.”

In a separate statement he added: “Football might be coming home, but we’re making sure fans don’t have to.”

The extension was made possible under government powers to relax licensing rules on occasions of “exceptional international, national or local significance”. Pubs that had hoped to stay open beyond 2am without the announcement would have needed to apply to their local council for a Temporary Events Notice, which requires at least five working days’ notice — a deadline that would have passed for any landlord waiting to see whether England progressed past DR Congo.

England reached the last 16 by beating Congo 2-1 in Atlanta on Wednesday, with Harry Kane scoring twice late on to spare the Three Lions from an early exit. They now face a Mexico side that has won all four of their World Cup 2026 matches without conceding a goal, having topped Group A before defeating Ecuador 2-0 in the last 32.