Pubs can stay open until 2am if home nations reach World Cup knockout stages

Pubs will be allowed to stay open until 2am during the World Cup knockout stages this summer - but only if any of the home nations have got that far.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has agreed to extend opening hours for the later rounds of the tournament, which is being hosted jointly by the US, Canada, and Mexico.

Pubs will also be able to apply for a temporary licence for any very late kick-offs that could finish beyond 2am, according to The Sun.

England and Scotland have already qualified for the competition, which runs from 11 June to 19 July, while either Wales or Northern Ireland could still join them via the playoffs.

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

"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."

"Fans won't need to go home, before football's come home," she added.

Read more: Everything you need to know about World Cup 2026

The home secretary is reported to have previously been considering only allowing pubs to open later if one of the home nations reached the quarter-finals of the tournament.

But she has now agreed to extend opening hours until 1am for most knockout games and 2am for those kicking off at 10pm.

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

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The 2026 World Cup is the first time three nations will jointly host the event and the first to feature 48 teams - up from 32 in the previous tournament in Qatar four years ago.

England have been drawn in alongside Croatia, Ghana and Panama in Group L, while Scotland, playing in their first men's finals in 28 years, face Morocco, Haiti and five-time champions Brazil in Group C.

(c) Sky News 2026: Pubs can stay open until 2am if home nations reach World Cup knockout stages