Pubs can stay open later for World Cup but only on one condition

Celebrations for the next football World Cup games could look very different as pubs have been given special permission to stay open later.

The Fifa World Cup is rolling around quickly, with fixtures kicking off this summer in the US, Canada and Mexico.

As fans in the UK face up to an eight-hour time difference when games are played in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Vancouver, cheering the teams can be tricky.

To make it easier to watch games live, pubs will be allowed to stay open in England and Wales until 2am – but only if any of the four home nations make it to the knockout stage.

What are World Cup pub opening hours?

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has agreed to extend pub opening hours if England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland make it to the knockout stage.

Pubs can stay open until 1am for most knockout games, which start in June following rounds of qualifiers.

For games kicking off at 10pm, doors can stay open until 2am, she ruled.

Pubs can also apply for a temporary licence for even later games that could wrap up beyond 2am due to the time difference.

What do pubs think about the World Cup opening hours?

This is the first time in a decade that alcohol licensing rules are relaxed for round 32 and 16 of the World Cup.

The Home Secretary said football fans ‘won’t need to go home, before football’s come home’ thanks to the changes.

Chancellor Racher Reeves said: ‘Backing later opening for pubs means more trade for local businesses, more jobs supported on our high streets and less red tape for landlords, so big games can give a real boost to growth.’

The industry representatives welcomed the move as a ‘pragmatic step’ to support UK hospitality.

Michael Kill, the chief executive of the Night Time Industries Association, said: ‘This is a welcome and pragmatic step from the Government for hospitality and the wider night time economy at a time of significant economic challenge.

‘Extending hours for major national and international events recognises the central role hospitality venues play in moments of shared celebration.

‘Cutting unnecessary red tape will give businesses greater certainty to plan, staff responsibly and trade safely, while improving the experience for customers.’

However, some pubs have labelled the announcement a gimmick that does little to help struggling venues facing uncertainty.

Hazel Southwell, the landlord of The Queen’s Head in Stratford, east London, told Metro the move is ‘not anything anyone from the industry is asking for.’

‘I think it’s a populist thing to throw out, and I don’t think it’s actually about the industry or about what pubs can practically do. They are throwing up a policy that can be splashed across the front pages, and hoping that’s something people will want.’

Staffing will be a major problem for pubs because the teams heading into the knockouts will be found out at short notice.

She said: ‘I still need to plan if I need staff, and that’s going to be very tricky.

‘It’s going to be difficult. Especially for pubs like mine that normally close at 11pm and staff do not want to work until 2am, because they don’t work in a late-night venue.

‘It is anti-social hours for the staff.

‘There’s greater risk involved, so some licensing authorities ay also say you can do that, but you’re going to need a security guard, which then increases the running costs.

‘Unless you know, there’s going to be significant interest, and you put two extra staff and a security guard on, you’re looking at high extra costs.

‘We are quite lucky here that we are relatively busy pub anyways, so it’s not a huge risk for us to buy stock.

‘But if you are one of the many pubs teetering on the edge, you are looking at a risk.’

She warned that using the extended opening hours will be a ‘difficult call for the industry,’ and that landlords and publicans could face ‘pressure from pub companies to use those hours, and a lot of us are running quite ragged in terms of trying to put a lot of work in.’

‘People will say this in an opportunity to maximise profits and draw people in, but I just don’t know this one is going to,’ she added.

England and Scotland have already qualified for the Fifa World Cup, while Wales and Northern Ireland are due to play in qualifiers in March.

Pub opening hours rules are different in Scotland, where they are decided by individual licensing boards.

In Glasgow, the city’s licensing body has already said pubs and bars can stay open through the night for late matches.

Scotland’s first game against Haiti on June 14 kicks off at 2am, so pubs in the city can stay open until around 4.15am.

Northern Ireland’s pub opening hours are decided by the Assembly. Standard hours are up to 11pm, although late licences can be granted until 2am.

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