LONDON (AP) — British Prime Minister Keir Starmer says pubs in England and Wales can stay open until 5 a.m. on the night England takes on Mexico in the round of 16 at the World Cup.
Calls for an extension to their licensing hours had grown in volume on Thursday, a day after England beat Congo 2-1 in the round of 32 with two late goals from captain Harry Kane.
The match at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City kicks off at 1 a.m. Monday morning UK time and could finish close to 4 a.m. if it goes to extra time and penalties. The current law only allowed pubs to stay open until 2 a.m.
“Football might be coming home but we’re making sure fans don’t have to," Starmer said. “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!”
The government's blanket extension means individual pubs do not need to apply for extended hours. The changes do not apply in Scotland and Northern Ireland.
News of the extension was welcomed by those in the pub trade, many of which are showing the games from the U.S., Canada and Mexico live.
“This pragmatic approach allows venues to focus on what matters most, bringing communities together to support the national team," said Michael Kill, chief executive of the Night Time Industries Association. “Major sporting occasions like this deliver a significant boost to hospitality businesses while creating an atmosphere that unites the country."
And Emma McClarkin, chief executive of the British Beer and Pub Association, said pubs and fans will be “over the moon about this decision, because we all know the best place to watch the match is down the local.”
Separately, the government said schoolchildren could watch England’s early-morning World Cup match against Mexico and still make it to class Monday after England's German head coach, Thomas Tuchel, said they should be allowed “an excuse for school."
“It’s a late game, but children can be in school the next day,” Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said.
Following England's victory over Congo in Atlanta, Tuchel encouraged parents to “write an excuse for school and let them watch football."
He added: “Come on. There’s so much school to go to, but the World Cup is every four years. Let them watch. There will be a big, big match on in four days and we need the support of everyone, and especially of the children.”
See more of AP’s World Cup coverage here
England head coach Thomas Tuchel leaves the field at half time of the World Cup round of 32 soccer match between England and Congo in Atlanta, Wednesday, July 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Erik S. Lesser)
England's Harry Kane, left, celebrates with Jude Bellingham after scoring their first goal during the World Cup round of 32 soccer match between England and Congo in Atlanta, Wednesday, July 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — The Israeli military carried out a massive military operation in the occupied West Bank over the weekend, displacing hundreds of Palestinians and placing major restrictions on Palestinian movement, in response to a gun attack that killed two Israeli soldiers and wounded three others in Hebron on Friday.
The operation comes as Israel enters the final days before a tense election, which is largely seen as a referendum on current Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s leadership and security policies during the past three years of war.
Most Palestinian workers with permits will not be allowed to enter Israeli communities for work in the occupied West Bank on Sunday and Monday, and crossings into Israel will remain closed until after Israel’s elections on Tuesday, the Israeli military said.
The military said it operated in more than 400 different locations over the weekend and arrested 40 Palestinians it claimed were affiliated with Hamas or Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
The operation displaced hundreds of families, forcing some to navigate crossings on foot after the roads were closed to traffic. At some military gates, people passed sacks of flour and gas canisters through the gates, while an elderly man pushed his wife in a wheelchair through an opening beside one of them. Another family attempted to navigate the gate to access medical appointments.
After Friday's attack, Israel’s military said it found weapons in the gunmen’s car and that they were likely planning to attack Israeli civilians before being stopped at the checkpoint.
The military said that troops were “conducting precise, targeted and thorough searches” in the area where the gunmen operated, and warned residents to evacuate Deir Bahha, the suspected gunmen’s neighborhood.
Hebron municipal officials said between 200 and 300 families had been displaced from Deir Bahha and four surrounding neighborhoods overnight, most going to other parts of the city.
Six Israelis have been killed this year in attacks in the West Bank, which is experiencing a surge of violence. During the same period, 112 Palestinians have been killed, including the suspected gunmen, according to the Ramallah-based Palestinian Health Ministry.
The attack sparked outrage in Israel, with Netanyahu and three members of his right-wing government giving statements from the site of the attack on Friday afternoon, vowing to respond forcefully. “We warned a few weeks ago about attempts by our enemies to harm us, our citizens and our soldiers ahead of the election,” Netanyahu said. “We will act to destroy this place.”
Netanyahu is under pressure to demonstrate a strong show of force against Palestinian attackers to bolster his image for Israelis concerned with security.
Roughly 3 million Palestinians and 540,000 Israeli settlers live in the West Bank, which Israel occupied in the 1967 Mideast war. Hebron is one of its most tense cities and the only place where Jewish settlers live in the heart of a densely populated Palestinian area under Israeli military protection.
Metz reported from Hebron, West Bank.
Israeli soldiers take up positions during an army operation in the West Bank city of Hebron Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026. A day after a Palestinian shooting attack in the area. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)
Israeli soldiers close a gate to vehicles during an army operation in Hebron, in the occupied West Bank, Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026, a day after a Palestinian shooting attack in the area. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)
Israeli soldiers take up positions during an army operation in the West Bank city of Hebron Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026. A day after a Palestinian shooting attack in the area. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)
Palestinian men sit at a road, blocked in an effort to prevent Israeli settlers from entering the area, after settlers were spotted nearby in the West Bank town of Sinjil, Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
Palestinians transport bags of semolina past a military gate closed to vehicles during an Israeli army operation in Hebron, in the occupied West Bank, Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026, a day after a Palestinian shooting attack in the area. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)
