The City of York Council has updated its licensing guidance to let local pubs and bars in York, North Yorkshire, stay open later for home nations matches during the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup. This change follows a national decision to relax opening hours when teams like England or Scotland play in the knockout stages of the tournament. The event is set to run from 11 June 2026 to 19 July 2026 across North America.
Under the new rules from the Government, licensed venues can serve alcohol until 1 am for most knockout matches involving a home nation. If a match has a late kick-off time of 10 pm, venues may stay open until 2 am. These rules apply specifically to drinks consumed on the premises and do not include takeaway sales.
England has already qualified for the tournament and will play group matches on 17 June 2026, 23 June 2026, and 27 June 2026. Scotland has also qualified and will face teams like Brazil in their group. While the automatic extensions apply to the knockout rounds, landlords may still need to apply for a special permit for earlier games.
There are around 235 pubs in York that could benefit from these changes. These venues make up a portion of the 1,117 total licensed premises currently registered across the city. Owners should check the council website for specific deadlines related to match dates.
Any football match that starts after 10 pm UK time will not be covered by the automatic extension and will require a Temporary Event Notice. According to the legal team at Poppleston Allen, these notices usually need to be filed at least 10 clear working days before the event. This allows the council and police time to review the request before the match takes place.
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