England fans can stay in the pub – either celebrating or commiserating with each other – until 30 minutes after the final whistle is blown in the World Cup quarter-final against Norway, the government has said.
Extended licensing hours will allow supporters in England and Wales to watch the entire game, even if the start is delayed because of extreme heat. An earlier extension had allowed venues to stay open until 02:00 BST.
The Three Lions are due to kick off at 22:00 (18:00 local time) at the Hard Rock Stadium, in Miami, Florida.
It comes after England’s match against Mexico on 2 July, held at the host country’s Azteca Stadium, began an hour later than scheduled because of storms.
“England fans deserve the chance to watch every minute of the quarter-final together, and that is exactly what our extension guarantees,” said Policing Minister Sarah Jones.
“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.”
She said she hoped pubs and bars would be “packed” for the game, as England “hopefully move one step closer to bringing football home”.
There was confusion ahead of the Mexico game, after Fifa went back on a plan to bring the game forward because of bad weather. It was eventually delayed by an hour, after heavy rain in Mexico City and reports of lightning above the stadium.
The threat of high temperatures has been a feature of the World Cup, being co-hosted by Mexico, Canada and the United States.
Fifa also introduced mandatory hydration breaks midway through each half to help players tackle the heat and humidity.
In a statement on Saturday, the Home Office said the extended hours would apply to any further England matches, including potentially the final, ensuring that venues can stay open 30 minutes after the final whistle.
The blanket extension means individual venues do not need to apply for extended hours.
Licensing hours had already been extended for the World Cup, from 23:00 to 01:00 for games with kick-offs from 17:00 up to 21:00, and until 02:00 for kick-offs between 21:00 and 22:00.
The home secretary has the legislative power to extend licensing hours on occasions of “exceptional international, national or local significance”.
