Football fans across England and Wales have something to celebrate after ministers gave the green light for pubs to stay open late during every knockout stage of this summer’s World Cup.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has agreed to relax licensing laws for all home nation matches beyond the group stages at the tournament in the US, Mexico and Canada.
It’s a significant shift from her original position, which would have only permitted extended hours if teams progressed past the quarter-finals.
Pub industry leaders are thrilled with the announcement.
Fans will be able to watch the football late into the night this summer
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Emma McClarkin, who heads up the British Beer and Pub Association, called it “a win for pubs, jobs and community spirit”.
The decision means boozers won’t need to call last orders before the final whistle.
Under the temporary easing of restrictions, pubs throughout England and Wales can keep serving until 1am for knockout fixtures, with that extending to 2am when matches kick off at 10pm.
The best part? It’s a blanket relaxation of the rules, so landlords won’t need to apply for special permission.
The World Cup will be hosted in the United States, Canada and Mexico | PA
For games starting in the early hours, fans can head to venues that already hold late licences, while any pub can request a Temporary Event Notice to open even later or show matches featuring other countries.
English pubs can also welcome punters for Scotland fixtures should they make it out of the group stages for the first time ever.
Wales and Northern Ireland still have a chance to qualify through next month’s play-offs.
Harry Kane and his England teammates will face Croatia, Ghana and Panama in Group L when the tournament gets underway.
Mahmood was clearly in the mood for football puns when announcing the policy.
Harry Kane is set to lead England at the World Cup
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PA“With later kick-offs at this year’s World Cup, we don’t want pubs to blow the final whistle before the winning goal,” she said.
“So we’re showing red tape the red card and taking pub hours to extra-time.”
The move comes as Labour looks to support the pub trade, with countless venues struggling to survive amid soaring taxes and rising costs.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves is also keen to boost economic growth, and keeping pints flowing during major sporting events certainly won’t hurt that ambition.
