Starmer set to allow all pubs to open for England’s 1am World Cup match with Mexico

Kate Devlin Thu, July 2, 2026 at 3:31 PM UTC

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Fans watch England in the pub (Getty)

Keir Starmer is poised to let all pubs stay open until the small hours of the morning for England’s crunch World Cup game on Monday.

The Three Lions take on Mexico in a clash due to start at 1am UK time, and the kick-off time has prompted calls for licensing laws to be relaxed so supporters can cheer on the team in a move that could be worth millions to the hospitality industry.

Pubs have already been permitted to open late during England’s run in the knockout stages of the World Cup.

But Monday’s match at the Azteca falls outside of change, because of its 1am start time.

Now, however, Sir Keir, a die hard Arsenal fan, is looking at options to allow a one-off lifting of restrictions.

Responding to the government's decision, Lib Dem MP Max Wilkinson said:"See you in the pub."

Official figures show 16.3 million people tuned in to watch England beat the Democratic Republic of Congo on Thursday.

Across BBC One and iPlayer, it was the biggest live audience of 2026 for the broadcaster.

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England captain Harry Kane secured a spot in the round of 16 for the men’s national football team after scoring two second-half goals.

Licensing hours were extended from 11pm to 1am for World Cup matches with kick-offs from 5pm to 9pm.

Pubs can also stay open until 2am if the kick off is after 9pm and up to 10pm.

Outside of those rules, pubs can apply to their local council for what is called a Temporary Event Notice (TEN) to stay open late.

However, that must be submitted at least five working days beforehand, leaving it too late for pubs to apply.

Emma McClarkin, chief executive of the British Beer and Pub Association, said she had raised industry concerns.

She said: “We remain in close contact with government about concerns raised by publicans who want to show the match but haven’t got temporary event notices in place.

“It would be a crying shame for fans and pubs if our locals weren’t able to host such an important match.”

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Source: “AOL Sports”