Preparing pubs and licensed venues for FIFA World Cup 2026

The Government has issued updated guidance confirming an expanded relaxation of licensing hours during the FIFA Men’s World Cup 2026. This latest announcement widens the scope of the proposed extension and is particularly relevant for pubs and licensed venues planning to show matches involving the Home Nations.

As Wales and Northern Ireland have yet to qualify, the fixture examples below focus on England matches. However, the licensing relaxations apply equally where any Home Nation – England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland – reaches the relevant stages of the tournament.

Group Stage: Early planning is key

England’s group stage kick-offs are:

• Wednesday 17 June 2026 – 21:00
• Tuesday 23 June 2026 – 21:00
• Saturday 27 June 2026 – 22:00

Although these matches start later in the evening, many premises operate under restricted terminal hours, such as 22:30 on Sundays or 23:00 on weekdays. At present, group stage fixtures are not covered by any national relaxation of licensing hours, meaning venues intending to trade beyond their usual hours will still need to rely on Temporary Event Notices (TENs).

Submitting TENs early remains strongly advisable. TENs can be withdrawn if they prove unnecessary, but late applications cannot be remedied.

Knockout stages: Extended hours without TENs in some cases

The most significant update relates to the knockout stages. The Government has confirmed that the proposed relaxation of licensing hours will now apply from the quarter-final stage onwards, where a Home Nation progresses.

Under the latest proposals, premises in England and Wales licensed for on-site alcohol consumption would be permitted to extend their hours without applying for a TEN in the following circumstances:

• Until 01:00 the following morning where a Home Nation reaches a quarter-final, semi-final or final with a kick-off at or before 21:00 (BST)
• Until 02:00 the following morning where a Home Nation reaches a quarter-final with a 22:00 (BST) kick-off

Matches kicking off later than these times remain outside the scope of the relaxation. For those fixtures, operators would still need to apply for TENs if they wish to open beyond their existing licensed hours.

The Government has also indicated that further extensions may be considered. In its announcement, it stated:

““Premises will therefore still have to issue a Temporary Events Notice for any other games where they want to open late, but we are exploring options to extend opening hours for other Home Nation games too.””

This suggests additional flexibility may be introduced as the tournament approaches, potentially covering more fixtures.

Scotland: Local arrangements already confirmed in Aberdeen

While the Scottish Government has not issued national guidance on extended hours for the tournament, Aberdeen City Council has confirmed a blanket local extension.

Licensed premises within the Aberdeen area will be permitted to remain open until 3:00am throughout the World Cup. In addition, for fixtures involving the Scotland national team, venues may trade until 30 minutes after the final whistle, even where this exceeds the standard 3:00am limit.

Operators elsewhere in Scotland should continue to monitor local authority announcements.

Planning ahead: TENs, safety and compliance

Despite the expanded proposals, careful planning remains essential. Operators should not assume that every fixture will be covered by extended hours and should continue to plan on the basis that TENs may still be required.

In particular, venues should:

• Identify fixtures falling outside the relaxation and submit TENs in good time
• Review risk assessments and crowd management plans
• Consider staffing levels, door supervision and the use of polycarbonate glassware

The Government is still consulting on whether to allow all licensed premises to remain open until 01:00 if any Home Nation reaches the semi-finals and/or the final. Until a final decision is confirmed, operators should not rely on this and should plan conservatively.

We will continue to monitor developments and provide further updates as the World Cup approaches.