Pubs set to open late for home nations matches during 2026 fifa world cup

Good news for everyone hoping to take in this summer’s FIFA World Cup with a pint in hand, because pubs are set to stay open until 2:00am for knockout matches involving the home nations. 

So, that means that pubs will be allowed to stay open until 2:00am for quarter finals matches starting at 10:00pm UK time, and until 1:00pm for any knockout matches starting at 9:00pm or before. 

As it stands, most pubs are only allowed to open until 11:00pm under the 2003 Licensing Act. 

Which games could this rule apply to?

England and Scotland have already qualified for the tournament, with Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland facing qualifiers to reach the USA, Mexico, and Canada this summer. 

If England manage to get out of their group – which contains Croatia, Panama, and Ghana – then navigate the round of 32 and round of 16 of the expanded tournament, they could be set for a gargantuan clash against Brazil in the quarter finals in Miami. 

That match is currently scheduled to kick off at 10:00pm, but there are a lot of results to go before that can be confirmed. 

The semi-finals and final are currently scheduled for 8:00pm UK time kick offs, so these rules shouldn’t be an issue. 

England could face a 1:00am kick off in the round of 16, with a match scheduled that time in Mexico City on July 6. 

However, these proposed later openings only apply to matches kicking off before or at 10:00pm, and pubs would still have to apply for temporary events licenses to stay open for the later ones. 

The Tartan Army are set for some late nights

One such late match will be Scotland’s first match back at a World Cup finals tournament since 1998, with their opening match against Haiti slated for a 2:00am kick off. 

If they make it to the latter stages of the tournament, and with Scott McTominay anything is possible, pubs will be allowed to stay open later for those games. 

The playoff picture

Wales face a playoff semi against Bosnia and Herzegovina before a final against the winner of Italy vs Northern Ireland if they want to make it to the big dance. 

The Republic of Ireland will face Czechia in Prague for their playoff semi, with the winner of that taking on either Denmark or North Macedonia for a place at the tournament.

Still, this is great news for the pub industry in Britain, who will be delighted to take use of the extra time to keep punters in over the course of the summer tournament.

Emma McClarkin of the British Beer and Pub Association told The Athletic: “The pub has and always will be the home of live sport and there’s no better place to gather under one roof during moments of huge national significance and make memories,

“Our sector plays a huge part in boosting community spirit and extending licensing hours will mean that people can gather for longer at their local to cheer on our brilliant teams.”