England supporters can remain in pubs until 30 minutes after the final whistle of Saturday's World Cup quarter-final against Norway, the Home Office confirmed. The blanket licensing extension covers the 22:00 BST kick-off at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Florida, and applies automatically to any further England matches, including a potential final. Policing Minister Sarah Jones said the move guarantees fans "complete certainty that no-one will miss a moment of the action" after the Mexico group game on 2 July was delayed an hour by storms at Azteca Stadium.

Previous extensions had allowed venues to serve until 02:00 BST for late kick-offs, but the new order removes the need for individual applications and pushes closing time to half an hour post-match. FIFA has also mandated hydration breaks at the midway point of each half to combat the heat and humidity affecting the tournament, co-hosted by Mexico, Canada and the United States.

The Home Secretary invoked powers reserved for occasions of "exceptional international, national or local significance" to enact the change. With England aiming to reach a first World Cup semi-final since 2018, the government hopes pubs will be "packed" as the Three Lions chase a place in the last four.