England fans can drink till 5 a.m. for Mexico World Cup game after government intervention

LONDON — England’s soccer team is bracing for the thunderous noise and thin air of Mexico’s Azteca Stadium on Sunday. Back home, fans had been bracing themselves for a different ordeal: having to watch England play Mexico without a pint in hand at the local pub.

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With the World Cup game kicking off at 1 a.m. Monday in Britain, publicans had raised concerns that they would be prevented from opening for the game under the country’s rigid licensing laws.

But after a bubble of public outcry, outgoing Prime Minister Keir Starmer staged a swift intervention on Thursday — promising an emergency legal measure to give pubs and bars across England and Wales blanket permission to stay open until 5 a.m. for the match.

“Football might be coming home but we’re making sure fans don’t have to,” Starmer said in a statement. “Pubs staying open till the final whistle is good news for supporters and good news for the pubs and venues that bring our communities together.”

Pubs “will be over the moon about this decision,” the British Beer and Pub Association said in a statement, while the Night Time Industries Association said the move will give a “significant boost to hospitality businesses.”

British newspapers on Friday were leading with plans for “England’s big all-nighter,” dubbing it “Mextra time” and a “Mexican rave.”

While some fans may be happy, the prospect of soccer fans enjoying 12 hours of uninterrupted drinking drew immediate criticism from police chiefs.

“We also know from previous tournaments, the knock-out games sadly see an increase in violent incidents, particularly in the night-time economy, and an increase in domestic abuse,” the National Police Chiefs’ Council said Friday. “This is directly linked to alcohol consumption.”

The likely World Cup bracket “has been known for a considerable time,” it added, hinting at displeasure at the government’s late move, which it said “leaves policing having to adapt our plans, seeing officers working extended shifts, which in turn takes them away from communities.”

Licensing laws typically mean venues must stop serving booze at 11 p.m.

The country had already relaxed the laws once for the tournament, with pubs allowed to stay open as late as 2 a.m. for England and Scotland matches — but no provision had been made for the prospect of overnight kickoff times until now.

Sunday’s overnight match, which could drag on past 4 a.m. in England if it goes to penalties, has also prompted other practical questions, with Starmer ruling out shutting schools on Monday morning to give little fans a chance to sleep in.

“We want everyone to enjoy the game but children should be at school on Monday,” his spokesperson said Thursday after England’s head coach Thomas Tuchel told a press conference that parents should “write an excuse for school and let them watch football.”

Starmer’s spokesperson on Friday praised the “flexibility and professionalism” of the police as the tournament continues, saying the licensing changes were announced “as quickly as possible” after England’s victory in the last round.

Employers across England, meanwhile, have been left fielding last-minute leave requests and some are bracing for a significant number of workers calling in sick on Monday after a heavy night at the pub.

“All of us need to go into work on Monday to celebrate England’s victory against Mexico,” government minister Baroness Smith told Times Radio on Thursday.

Starmer announced last month that he would step down after a bruising two years in power and is expected to be replaced later this month by Andy Burnham , the former Greater Manchester mayor whose “blokey” persona contrasts with Starmer’s more buttoned-up public image.

Both men are avid soccer fans, and Starmer cheered on England in person at the Euro 2024 final shortly after taking office — a responsibility that could fall to his successor if England makes it to the World Cup final this year.

The final is slated for July 19, two days after Burnham is likely to replace Starmer as party leader.

English soccer fans have earned a reputation for violent hooliganism, hurling plastic chairs and brawling their way across the piazzas and boulevards of Europe. That image has faded, however, aided by stricter policing, banning orders and the general gentrification of an increasingly expensive game.

At home, England victories are occasionally accompanied by raucous celebrations, with some scenes of disorder when the team made it to the Euro 2020 and 2024 finals, though it ultimately lost both.