Late-night plans set for Chichester pubs as England face Mexico at 1am
Chichester residents are preparing for an early-hours World Cup night, as England national football team take on Mexico, in a round-of-16 clash kicking off at 1am on Monday (July 6).
Following an updated UK Government update, licensed premises across England and Wales may, in some cases, remain open until the end of the match, with some potentially trading until around 5am. The move reverses an earlier position that had ruled out further relaxation of licensing rules beyond existing World Cup arrangements.
Outgoing Prime Minister Keir Starmer said: "Football might be coming home but we're making sure fans don't have to.”
In a video, posted on social media, he added: “We’re making sure that pubs can stay open, early on Monday morning, for the England game.
"Lots of people are making their plans. If you are planning to watch it in the pub, that’s great, and it’s really good for pubs as well.
“So come on England!”
The announcement follows the UK Government’s ongoing commitment to support the pub sector through business‑rates relief, planning flexibilities, and targeted licensing reforms.
As part of this package, ministers have now confirmed that pubs will be permitted to stay open later – without the need to submit a TEN – for specific Home Nation fixtures during the tournament.
While the relaxation covers key late‑stage fixtures, the government has been clear that premises will still need to submit a TEN for any other matches where they wish to extend their hours.
Earlier this year, the government had passed an order enabling qualifying premises to extend their licensed hours until either 1am or 2am for certain World Cup matches. However, this only applied to matches that kick off between 5pm and 10pm.
Before the government U-turn was confirmed, extended hours did not apply, and so premises were only permitted to operate in line with the hours set out in their existing licence.
A spokesperson for Chichester District Council had previously said: “As the England v Mexico match kicks off at 1am on Monday, pubs and other licensed premises must adhere to the standard Sunday night and Monday morning hours permitted by their existing license, unless they have been granted a Temporary Event Notice (TEN) for this purpose.
"It is now too late to submit a TEN for this match as the law requires at least five clear working days' notice – this does not include the day the TEN is given or the day of the event.”
Earlier this year, the government had passed an order enabling qualifying premises to extend their licensed hours until either 1am or 2am for certain World Cup matches. However, this only applied to matches that kick off between 5pm and 10pm.
Before the government U-turn was confirmed, extended hours did not apply, and so premises were only permitted to operate in line with the hours set out in their existing licence.
Across the Chichester area, venues are now planning for the occasion:
In Selsey High Street, The Crown will be screening the match with a £1 entry fee, promising a lively atmosphere ahead of kick-off. The pub will show the game across eight screens, including a 100-inch main screen, with full surround sound.
In Chichester, The Four Chestnuts (Oving Road / The Hornet, PO19 7EJ) said it will be open for the game. The venue will offer pies, hotdogs and beer pong, with the match shown across ten screens.
If your public house is screening the match, let us know by emailing [email protected].