Pubs across England and Wales will be permitted to remain open until 5am on Monday morning to broadcast England's FIFA World Cup 2026 last-16 fixture against co-hosts Mexico — after Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer stepped in to extend licensing hours.

A late kick-off demands a late licence

The match at Mexico City's iconic Estadio Azteca is scheduled to kick off at 1am BST, meaning it will run until at least 3am under normal circumstances. Should the game go to extra-time and penalties, supporters in pubs could still be watching as late as 4am.

Under existing World Cup licensing relaxations, pubs had been allowed to stay open until 1am for games starting between 5pm and 9pm BST, and until 2am for matches beginning after 9pm. England's previous late fixture — the Group L finale against Panama — started at 10pm BST, falling within that bracket.

The 1am kick-off against Mexico, however, pushed well beyond those parameters. Any pub wishing to trade past 2am would ordinarily have needed to submit a Temporary Events Notice to their local council at least five working days in advance. Landlords who held off until England secured their place in the last 16 — beating DR Congo 2-1 in Atlanta on Wednesday — had already missed that deadline.

Starmer confirms the extension

Sir Keir confirmed the extended hours on Thursday afternoon via a social media video captioned