Police chiefs criticise late pub hours announcement for England World Cup match

Pubs and bars across England and Wales could stay open until 5am for England’s World Cup last-16 match with Mexico on 2 July 2026, prompting police chiefs to warn that officers would have to be pulled from other duties. The game kicked off at 1am UK time on Monday and could have run close to 4am if it went to extra time and penalties.

Ministers used licensing powers for occasions of “exceptional international, national or local significance” to remove the need for individual premises to apply for extended hours. That made the decision easier for operators, but it also shifted the burden onto local forces, which would need to plan for late-night drinking, crowd movement, transport pressure and possible disorder around a fixture with an unusually unsociable finish for UK fans.

The National Police Chiefs’ Council’s United Kingdom Football Policing Unit works with the Home Office and the NPCC football lead to reduce violence, antisocial behaviour and disorder at football events involving UK teams. In this case, police chiefs argued that the timing of the announcement left little room to adjust staffing, even as the tournament’s North American schedule, in the United States, Canada and Mexico, pushed England supporters into the early hours.

The move followed earlier World Cup licensing relaxations for England’s knockout games that kicked off up until 10pm. Under those rules, pubs could stay open until 1am for matches starting between 5pm and 9pm, and until 2am for kick-offs between 9pm and 10pm. Communities Secretary Steve Reed also wrote to council leaders about the changes and thanked them for approving Temporary Event Notices during the tournament.

Michael Kill, chief executive of the Night Time Industries Association, called it “fantastic news” and said it would be hugely welcomed by operators, while the British Beer and Pub Association also backed the extension. The government had already urged councils not to block later openings, special screenings and beer-garden events.