THE UK government has extended pub licensing hours for the men’s 2026 World Cup knockout stages for all England and Scotland matches.

Pubs in England and Wales will be able to remain open for longer should a home nation (England or Scotland) proceed beyond the group stages of the tournament. The 2026 tournament is to be played in the US, Canada, and Mexico from 11 June to 19 July. Many games are being screened later in the evening as the 3 host nations have various time zones that are at least 5 hours behind the UK.

Extended hours for England and Scotland games
The extension of hours are:

1am for kick-offs between 5pm and up to 9pm
2am for kick-offs between 9pm and up to 10pm
They will apply to the following matches:

Round of 32
Round of 16
Quarter-finals
Semi-finals
Bronze medal match
Final of the 2026 World Cup

The national relaxation applies automatically without the need for venues to apply for individual Temporary Event Notices (TENs). The relaxation only applies to venues already licensed to 11pm on the day of the match, and subject to their existing licence conditions.

The British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) has produced guidance on Managing World Cup 2026 success: