Supporters in England and Wales will be able to watch England’s entire World Cup quarter-final without last orders cutting them short, after the government extended licensing hours to cover any potential delays caused by extreme heat. The blanket extension means venues can stay open 30 minutes after the final whistle, and crucially, individual pubs and bars will not need to apply for the extended hours themselves.
England are due to kick off at 22:00 BST, with the match scheduled to be played at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Florida. The decision follows the chaos before England’s group stage game against Mexico on 2 July, when storms pushed the kick-off at the Azteca Stadium back by an hour. An earlier licensing extension had already allowed venues to stay open until 02:00 BST, but the government moved to guarantee full coverage of the quarter-final and any matches beyond it, including potentially the final.
Policing Minister Sarah Jones said the extension was designed to give fans and venues complete certainty. “England fans deserve the chance to watch every minute of the quarter-final together, and that is exactly what our extension guarantees,” she said. “After the weather delay we saw before the Mexico game, we want to give fans and venues complete certainty that no-one will miss a moment of the action.” Jones added that she hoped pubs and bars would be “packed” as England “hopefully move one step closer to bringing football home”.
The Home Secretary holds the legislative power to extend licensing hours for occasions of “exceptional international, national or local significance”. Licensing hours had already been extended for the World Cup, running from 23:00 to 01:00 for games kicking off between 17:00 and 21:00, and until 02:00 for kick-offs between 21:00 and 22:00.
Heat has been a persistent concern throughout the tournament, which is being co-hosted by Mexico, Canada and the United States. FIFA introduced mandatory hydration breaks midway through each half to help players cope. In Miami, conditions are expected to be severe, with BBC lead weather presenter Matt Taylor warning of soaring heat and humidity. The National Weather Service issued a heat advisory for the city from 11:00 to 19:00 local time, with daytime temperatures forecast to peak at 33C but feeling closer to 43C due to humidity.
Image credit: BBC Sport / BBC Sport
