Thousands of pubs will remain closed for England’s World Cup match against Mexico despite the Government’s licensing U-turn, with only five Wetherspoon venues open.
Sir Keir Starmer has made a late decision to allow pubs across England and Wales to stay open until 5am on Monday for the last-16 match, which kicks off at 1am.
MPs had called for leeway beyond the 2am extended pub opening hours already in place for England matches during the tournament in the US, Canada and Mexico.
The blanket extension announced yesterday means individual pubs do not need to apply for extended hours – but some owners have said issues with arranging staffing and being located in residential areas will mean they will remain closed.
Wetherspoon said only five of its 800 pubs across the UK will show the match – one of which already could under its existing licensing hours and another four which previously sought and received special permission from the licensing authorities.
Greene King, which has 2,600 pubs, restaurants and hotels across the UK, said more than 600 venues across England – including its pubs and restaurant brands including Hungry Horse and Flaming Grill – would be staying open late to show the match.
Fuller’s said that 23 pubs were planning to stay open, while Stonegate Group said 610 Craft Union, 182 managed sites and hundreds of leased and tenanted pubs will do so.
One government source said: ‘We probably clocked this a little bit late in the day to be honest – getting anything done in half a day in government is basically impossible.’
The British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) said earlier this year that the number of pubs in the UK had fallen from 46,829 in 2020 to 44,656 in 2025.
Tommy Higgs, co-owner of The Three Horseshoes pub in Witney, Oxfordshire, said they would not be opening for the England match to avoid annoying neighbours.
England fans watch the DR Congo match on Wednesday at The Blue Eagle pub in Southend
Speaking to LBC, Mr Higgs said: ‘We’re in a built-up community around here, and I think it’s just a little bit disrespectful for our locals to have that sort of noise at 5am.’
The publican added: ‘No one’s going to want to work until five in the morning.
‘We’re not a nightclub, we’re a local pub in a small town, and I am not allowed to annoy my neighbours because I’ll be into holy hell with that.
‘A lot of our staff have second jobs. We employ a couple of full-timers, but mainly part-time, and I would never expect that of them.’
Discussing the Government’s decision to loosen restrictions, Mr Higgs said: ‘For some, I think it’s a huge benefit, especially in your bigger built-up cities, where there are places that open later, but for here and where we are, it’s just not something that we will do.
‘There’s other things they can be doing to help the pub trade out – staying open until five o’clock in the morning on a Monday – for some is a benefit, but for others it’s just completely pointless, really.’
The Treacle Mine Pub in Grays, Essex, has also decided to stay closed for the game.
It said in a Facebook post: ‘Due to the 1am kick-off and out of respect for our neighbours, we will not be showing the England v Mexico World Cup match.
‘We understand many of our customers would have loved to watch the game with us, and we sincerely apologise for any disappointment this may cause. We appreciate your understanding and continued support.’
In an apparent attempt to avoid disorder, The Foxley Hotel at Milton in Stoke-on-Trent said it would show the match but ‘by invite only’, asking punters to get in touch if they wanted to be added to a list.
The Three Horseshoes in Witney, Oxfordshire, is among the pubs that will not opening for the England match. The pub’s owner said the closure was to avoid annoying local neighbours
The owners said in a Facebook post: ‘If your name’s not down, you will not be permitted entry to the pub – no exceptions. Entry for the football will be between 11pm and 11.30pm, via the side car park gate only, which will be locked promptly after this time.
‘The pub will be closed at 10.30pm Sunday night, in order to get ready for the match. You will not be able to remain in the pub if your name is not on the list.’
The Daily Mail understands the Home Office initially resisted calls from inside government to amend licensing hours on Sunday night over concerns about the impact on already struggling police forces.
But Sir Keir pushed the change through, and the Home Office will initiate an emergency law change this morning.
However, the National Police Chiefs’ Council has criticised the timing of the decision to let pubs stay open.
In a joint statement, Chief Constable Mark Roberts, NPCC lead for football policing, and Acting Chief Constable Scott Green, NPCC lead for alcohol licensing and harm reduction, said the ‘late announcement’ meant forces having to adapt plans and take officers away from communities.
They also asked England fans to be considerate to others and drink ‘sensibly’ during the game.
The statement said: ‘We recognise there will be significant public interest in England’s match on Monday morning and that many of the public will want to come together in pubs and licensed venues to enjoy the occasion.
‘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. This is directly linked to alcohol consumption.
‘The likely route for England progression has been known for a considerable time yet this late announcement leaves policing having to adapt our plans seeing officers working extended shifts which in turn takes them away from communities.
The Treacle Mine Pub in Grays, Essex,said it will be closed ‘out of respect for our neighbours’
‘From a policing perspective, our priority is to support people to enjoy the match safely and responsibly. We therefore ask those watching the game to be considerate – drink within sensible limits, and behave in a way that keeps you, your friends, staff, officers and the wider public safe.
‘We will continue to work with partners and venues to support a safe and enjoyable evening for everyone.’
And a former boss at the UK’s biggest police force said officers are having to ‘gear up’ after the Government’s announcement.
Andy Trotter, a former deputy assistant commissioner at the Metropolitan Police, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme the ‘late change’ will result in last-minute shift changes for officers.
‘My anxiety is with the late change the police are now going to have to gear up across the country on a night normally when into the early hours it’d be a bit quieter than usual,’ Mr Trotter said.
‘Now they have to change shifts, get more officers out.
‘And we all hope this is going to be a great night in all ways. We all hope it’s going to be calm and peaceful, but we know the combination of hot nights, alcohol and sporting events can lead to trouble.’
He added: ‘There could well be issues as people come out at 4 or 5 in the morning, bumping into the morning bleary-eyed commuters.
‘So the police have got to be ready for this, but my anxiety is the late notice for police forces means a lot of late shift changes, which is unfortunate.’
England will face Mexico in the last 16 after beating the Democratic Republic of the Congo 2-1 on Wednesday.
Andrew Gallagher, brand and marketing director at Greene King, said: ‘We’re delighted to have been granted permission to stay open late as England progress through the tournament.
The Foxley Hotel at Milton in Stoke-on-Trent said it would show the England match but ‘by invite only’, asking punters to get in touch if they wanted to be added to a list
‘There’s nothing quite like the atmosphere in our pubs and it gives fans the chance to come together, soak up the occasion and hopefully celebrate. We know this will be a popular match, so urge guests to secure their spot as soon as possible.’
The Prime Minister said: ‘Football might be coming home but we’re making sure fans don’t have to.
‘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. The whole country will be backing the team. Come on England.’
Communities Secretary Steve Reed has written to council leaders informing them of the changes.
Before the announcement, he had earlier urged them to sign off on pubs extending their hours to allow fans to watch to the end of the match, after claiming there were ‘still some councils that are saying no to the pubs’.
Michael Kill, chief executive of the Night Time Industries Association (NTIA), said: ‘This pragmatic approach allows venues to focus on what matters most – bringing communities together to support the national team.
‘Major sporting occasions like this deliver a significant boost to hospitality businesses while creating an atmosphere that unites the country.
‘As England heads into one of the biggest games of the tournament, let’s get behind the team, support our local venues, and give the country something positive to celebrate.
‘We hope this weekend marks not only a memorable occasion for England on the pitch, but also a much-needed boost for our hospitality sector and the communities it serves.’
Lawson Mountstevens, managing director of Heineken UK’s Star Pubs, said: ‘The extension to licensing hours granted by the Government is very welcome – watching a big game like this in the pub is second only to being at the match itself.
‘We anticipate a large majority of our managed operator pubs will stay open for the game on Monday morning, and we hope millions of people up and down the country will be enjoying an England victory in their local in the early hours.’
Emma McClarkin, chief executive of the BBPA, said: ‘Pubs and fans will be over the moon about this decision, because we all know the best place to watch the match is down the local.
‘This tournament is hugely important for our sector, so we’re delighted the Government listened to our concerns and acted so quickly.
Sir Keir Starmer said pubs across England and Wales will be able to stay open late for the match
‘Now we can carry on being the home of live sport and welcoming fans through the door.’
Jared Sedgwick, director of operations at Marston’s, said: ‘More than 400 of our pubs were already set to open late for England v Mexico on Sunday night – and the Government’s decision to ease licensing restrictions means that number is only going one way.
‘When England are playing, a 1am kick-off is no barrier, and we’ll make sure fans have somewhere great to watch it together in the kind of big match atmosphere that’s hard to replicate at home.
‘If the last game was anything to go by, there’ll be plenty to keep people on the edge of their seats – and with spaces filling up fast, we’d encourage anyone planning to join us to book ahead to avoid disappointment. We also suspect there might be a little more ‘working from home’ come Monday morning.’
A spokesperson for Wetherspoons said ‘only five of the 800 Wetherspoon pubs will be open’ for the match.
These are: Bishops Mill, Durham; Cooper Rose, Sunderland; William Rufus, Carlisle; Penderel’s Oak, Holborn; and Solomon Cutler, Birmingham.
It is estimated that up to one million extra pints will be sold on Monday.
Labour’s Andrew Ranger, the Wrexham MP who saw through the legislation to relax national-level, licensing decisions, said: ‘I’m delighted to see that the Government has used the powers that my Bill gave them.
‘This is exactly what I intended when I introduced the legislation: allowing people to come together, support our brilliant local pubs, and giving the hospitality industry the flexibility it needs to benefit from major national occasions.
‘I fully support the decision to ensure that fans can watch Sunday’s game with a pint in hand in one of our many fantastic pubs. And, as a proud Welsh MP, I hope that one day I’ll be able to watch Wales in the same manner.’
Reform UK’s Robert Jenrick branded yesterday’s confusion ‘ridiculous’, demanding: ‘Just issue a decree that any pub in the land can stay open late on Monday.
‘It’s been done before. Stop being pettifogging killjoys and get behind England.’
And Conservative MP Louie French said the announcement was ‘the least’ Downing Street could do for pubs ‘after two years of hammering [them] with Labour’s tax rises’.
Meanwhile Downing Street told parents to ignore manager Thomas Tuchel’s advice that parents should ‘write an excuse for school and let them watch football’.
He said: ‘They have so much school to go to, but the World Cup is every four years. Let them watch… and we need the support of everyone and especially of the children.’
But Sir Keir’s spokesman said: ‘Kids should be at school on Monday.’ Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson added: ‘Children should be in school the next day.’
It comes as English businesses brace for a ‘mass sickie event’ on Monday morning as bleary-eyed workers sleep in.
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