World Cup 2026 extended licensing hours

The Government has confirmed The Licensing Act 2003 (FIFA World Cup Licensing Hours) Order 2026.

The extension applies if:

• your venue has a premises licence or club premises certificate issued in England and Wales
• your licence already allows alcohol sales until at least 11pm on the day of the match

Existing licence conditions still apply.

The extension also applies to late night refreshment if your premises is licensed to sell alcohol on the premises until 11pm.

The extension does not apply to:

• off-licences
• premises licensed only for late night refreshment
• regulated entertainment

If your premises is not licensed to sell alcohol until at least 11pm on the day of the match you will not be covered by the extension.

To extend your hours, you must apply for a Temporary Event Notice.

The final is set for Sunday 19 July where many venues will only be licensed to sell alcohol until 10:30pm, so remember to check your licensing conditions.

The extension applies to matches where England or Scotland are playing in a knockout stage.

This includes:

• round of 32
• round of 16
• quarter-finals
• semi-finals
• third place play-off
• final

The extension only applies to matches that kick off between 5pm and 10pm.

If no home nation is playing, the extension does not apply.

The extension does not apply to group stage matches.

You will need to apply for a Temporary Event Notice if you want to extend your hours for these matches.

For qualifying matches:

• if the match starts between 5pm and 9pm, you can sell alcohol until 1am
• if the match starts after 9pm and before 10pm, you can sell alcohol until 2am

View guidance on the relaxation of licensing hours on GOV.UK.

The British Beer & Pub Association have also created a document of advice for licensees PDF, 865KB.