Pubs to stay open until 5am for England match!

Pubs across England and Wales will be able to stay open until 5 a.m. BST for England's World Cup round-of-16 match against Mexico that kicks off at 1 a.m. on Monday, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has announced.

MPs had called for leeway beyond the 2 a.m. extended pub opening hours already in place for England matches during the tournament.

England will face Mexico in the round of 16 after beating Congo DR 2-1 on Wednesday, but the next game in Mexico City begins at 1 a.m. BST and will not finish until after the previous extended hours provision.

The Prime Minister said: "Football might be coming home but we're making sure fans don't have to.

"Pubs staying open till the final whistle is good news for supporters and good news for the pubs and venues that bring our communities together.

"The whole country will be backing the team. Come on England!"

Fans in the UK have had to get used to World Cup matches kicking off at unsociable hours due to the time zones in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

England's dramatic round-of-32 win over Congo DR kicked off at a pub-friendly time of 5 p.m. BST on Wednesday. Two of England's group games began at 9 p.m., with the third against Panama kicking off at 10 p.m.

Should Thomas Tuchel's team beat Mexico at the Estadio Azteca, they would play their quarterfinal against either Brazil or Norway at 10 p.m. BST.

The semifinal on their half of the bracket is due to begin at a more familiar 8 p.m., as does the final in New Jersey on July 19.

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