Pubs to open late for home nations knockout games

Pubs in England and Wales will be able to stay open late for any home nation knockout match during the men's World Cup this summer.

The UK government had previously said extended hours would be allowed for the semi-finals and final.

Now that has been extended to any knockout game featuring England, Scotland and – if they qualify – Wales or Northern Ireland. That includes the last 32 and last 16.

In Scotland, where alcohol licensing is a devolved issue, each of the 32 local authorities is looking at its pub opening times for the World Cup.

The World Cup kicks off next June in the US, Canada and Mexico, which include time zones at least five hours behind the UK.

Under the temporary change, pubs in England and Wales can stay open until 01:00 for the knockout ties, and 02:00 for the 22:00 kick-offs. For any very late kick-offs, they can apply for a temporary licence.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said fans would be able to enjoy another round as extra time would be given to games with a 22:00 kick-off.

"With later kick-offs at this year's World Cup, we don't want to blow the final whistle before the winning goal," she said.

"So we're showing red tape the red card and taking pub hours to extra time so fans can get another round in without missing a single kick."

The home secretary has the legislative powers to extend pub opening hours on occasions of "exceptional international, national or local significance".

The decision follows a six-week public consultation, launched by the government, on extending pub licensing hours to allow fans to come together and support teams.

The British Beer and Pub Association told The Sun the latest announcement was "a win for pubs, jobs and community spirit".

England and Scotland have already qualified for the competition running from 11 June to 19 July.

Wales and Northern Ireland have the chance of reaching the tournament when they compete in the play-offs, where a total of 16 teams will battle it out for four slots at the competition.

So far, England has been drawn to play Croatia, Ghana and Panama in Group L, and Scotland will play Brazil, Morocco and Haiti.

Scotland's men are playing at the World Cup for the first time since 1998.

Pubs and bars in Glasgow will be able to stay open through the night for World Cup football matches this summer.

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