- Pubs across England and Wales have been granted permission to extend their opening hours until 5am for England's World Cup last-16 match against Mexico, which kicks off at 1am on Monday.
- Despite this blanket extension, confirmed by Sir Keir Starmer, many pubs are expected to remain closed, citing operational challenges and concerns.
- Reasons for not opening include difficulties in arranging staff for late shifts and potential noise disturbance in residential areas, as explained by Tommy Higgs, co-owner of The Three Horseshoes pub, in Witney, Oxfordshire.
- Major pub chains show varied responses: Wetherspoons announced only five of its 800 pubs would open, whereas Greene King confirmed over 600 of its establishments across England would stay open late.
- While the extended hours benefit some larger city venues, smaller local pubs view the measure as impractical and irrelevant to their business model.
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