Government makes last-minute pub rule change before England vs Norway
Extended hours mean pubs can stay open until 30 minutes after the final whistle tonight ⚽
England fans will be able to stay in the pub until after tonight’s game with Norway is over, the Government has said.
Extended licensing hours mean that pubs in England and Wales can remain open until 30 minutes after the final whistle is blown, even if the start of the game is delayed.
Leeds-born Erling Haaland and his Norway side face England in a huge World Cup quarter-final tonight.
Kick off is expected at 10pm as the two teams come face to face at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Florida.
Ministers had already pushed opening hours for the game until 2am, but have made the extra extension with flexible licensing laws.
Policing minister Sarah Jones said: “England fans deserve the chance to watch every minute of the quarter-final together, and that is exactly what our extension guarantees.
“After the weather delay we saw before the Mexico game, we want to give fans and venues complete certainty that no-one will miss a moment of the action.
“I hope pubs and bars across England and Wales are packed on Saturday night, as we hopefully move one step closer to bringing football home.”
The Three Lions’ previous game against Mexico in the host country’s Azteca Stadium in the early hours of Monday was delayed by an hour because of storms.
Licensing hours were extended into the early morning for that game, which England won 3-2.