The government has announced plans to relax licensing hours for select Home Nation matches in anticipation of the FIFA Men’s World Cup 2026 this summer. This follows shortly after the Home Office held a consultation on a proposed Licensing Hours Order under Section 172 of the Licensing Act 2003 at the end of last year. Under Section 172, the Home Secretary may extend permitted hours for events of exceptional national significance. Previous Orders were made for the 2010 and 2014 World Cups, with the latter offering the largest extensions due to the Brazil time difference.
The recent press release, published 27 January 2026, broadens the scope of the suggested relaxation as part of a larger support package for the hospitality sector ahead of the tournament.
England & Wales: Proposed licensing hours order and Government update
The Home Office’s original consultation proposed a national relaxation of licensing hours for the semi‑finals and final, provided a Home Nation (England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland) reaches those stages. The consultation closed on 15 January 2026 and is currently under review.
A new Government press release confirms that the proposed relaxation will now also apply to quarter‑final matches. The extension will allow pubs in England and Wales to open later without applying for a Temporary Event Notice for the following:
- Premises may remain open until 1am for any quarter‑final, semi‑final or the final if the match starts at or before 9pm BST.
- Premises may remain open until 2am for any quarter‑final starting at 10pm BST.
However, matches beginning after 10pm BST will not benefit from this extension so premises will need to rely on existing permissions or apply for a TEN if they wish to open later.
For all other games, operators will still need to rely on existing licence hours or submit a TEN where later opening times are required. The Government has confirmed that it is exploring options to extend opening hours for additional Home Nation matches, though no further details have yet been published.
Please see the following link to the January 2026 Press release: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-announces-support-package-that-backs-british-pubs
Scotland: Local licensing board extensions
Scotland operates under a separate licensing framework. Section 67 of the Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005 allows Licensing Boards to grant general extensions for events of local or national significance.
Several boards have already announced their positions:
- Aberdeen City Licensing Board has approved a blanket extension to 03:00 for Scotland matches, with additional time permitted if a match runs beyond that.
- East Ayrshire Licensing Board has indicated it is likely to adopt a similar approach.
- Glasgow City licencing board has also approved an extension lasting until 30 minutes after the final whistle for all matches.
- City of Edinburgh Licensing Board is consulting on a general extension for matches falling outside normal licensed hours. The consultation closed on 9 February 2026, with a decision expected on 23 February. Edinburgh adopted a similar extension for the 2014 World Cup.
Approaches may vary across Scotland, so operators should monitor local Board decisions closely.
What next?
Although the final Licensing Hours Order has not yet been published, operators can begin preparing by reviewing existing licence hours and identifying the matches that may still require TENs. It would also benefit operators to begin planning staff, security and dispersal arrangements for extended hours.
We will continue to monitor Government developments and provide further updates as soon as information becomes available.