There was a chance kick-off time might have been moved forward because of storms, but Mexico v England is staying at 1am on Monday morning.
But in what seems to be Keir Starmer’s final u-turn, pubs can stay open until 5am. Despite the unusual hours, many pub groups and independent licensees will be looking to sell as many pints as they can.
Andy Burnham is making some of the right noises, in terms of bringing down hospitality costs, should he become prime minister. But for now, licensees have to take every opportunity they can to boost sales, and this match provides that.
In an interview this week, Burnham indicated that he wanted to raise business rates for, particularly, online shopping delivery bases, in order to lower rates for high street businesses, including pubs.
Interviewed by Andrew Marr on LBC, he said: “There is some room within that manifesto for movement on tax, so if you take business rates, for instance, I believe there is a case for higher business rates on warehouses and the major developments we see on the outskirts of our cities, so that we can cut business rates for pubs, and I’ve proposed a 20% cut and lift some high street businesses out of business rates altogether.
“I think it’s important to, if you like, prioritise and reward the businesses that bring social benefit, the businesses that bring people together, the bars, the restaurants, the coffee shops, the hairdressers, because the high street really needs to get more of our attention.”
NIQ’s Daily Drinks Tracker, powered by CGA intelligence, reveals average sales in managed venues in the week to Saturday, 27th June, were 14.7% higher than in the equivalent period in 2025. It is by far the best performance of 2026 so far.
The heat and the World Cup both worked to the advantage of long alcoholic drinks categories. Sales of beer and cider in the last week of June rose year on year by 18.3% and 45.2% respectively.
Greene King has confirmed that more than 600 pubs across England will be staying open late to show the England vs Mexico game in the early hours of Monday morning. Selected venues across Greene King pubs and its brands will remain open for the 1am kick off.
Online booking slots are now available for fans to secure their seat here. The selected pubs will stay open for kick off and remain open until the final whistle.
Jared Sedgwick, director of operations at Marston’s, said: “More than 400 of our pubs were already set to open late for England v Mexico on Sunday night — and the Government’s decision to ease licensing restrictions means that number is only going one way.
“When England are playing, a 1am kick-off is no barrier, and we’ll make sure fans have somewhere great to watch it together in the kind of big match atmosphere that’s hard to replicate at home.”
Visa, an official partner of the FIFA World Cup has released data revealing the impact of the tournament on the spending habits of the nation’s football fans. They show:
- Hospitality businesses in England saw an almost 15% increase in year-on-year spending from Visa cardholders during the group stage of FIFA World Cup 2026, compared to an average weekend or weekday during the same period last year.
- The biggest increases in matchday spending were seen in pubs, with a 30% increase, while restaurants also saw a 5% boost. Spending at pubs after 9pm was up by 70%.
- Food and grocery spending on matchdays was also up 10% compared to the same weekdays in 2025, indicating many fans are also splashing out on their at-home viewing experience.
- England’s game against Ghana on Tuesday, 23rd June, saw the biggest spending increase (up more than 20%), as fans made the most of the later kick-off time. Spending at pubs after 9pm was up over 200% during this game.
- Across all the games in the group stages, between 11th and 28th June, grocery spending in England increased by 7%, while pub spending grew by 12%. During this period, pub spending after 9pm went up 17%.
