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)
NHL free agency spilled into Thursday with some high-profile players still on the open market, including Stanley Cup champions Patrick Kane and Vladimir Tarasenko. Alex Ovechkin is staying put in Washington.
With a social media post picturing Ovechkin and the words, “It's so not O-ver,” the Capitals ended months of speculation Thursday regarding the 40-year-old's future and whether he might head home to compete in Russia. The NHL’s all-time goal-scoring leader is returning for a 22nd season after signing a bonus-laden deal with a $1 million salary that will make him $9 million at age 41 as long as he plays in 10 games.
The Capitals made sure to keep enough salary cap space open to fit Ovechkin during an offseason in which they added Jordan Kyrou, Alex Tuch, Boone Jenner and Vincent Desharnais.
A day after landing prized free agent goalie Sergei Bobrovsky, the Toronto Maple Leafs continued their offseason transformation by signing former Capitals forward Brandon Duhaime to a three-year contract.
Meantime, Kane is still available after spending the past three years with Detroit. Kane is 37 now and a decade removed from winning the Hart Trophy as MVP when he led the league in scoring. Also unsigned are wingers Tarasenko and Anthony Mantha, who is coming off a career year, and forward Claude Giroux, who is still chasing a championship at 38.
The first 11-plus hours of free agency featured more than 55 players changing places across the league with more than $360 million worth of contracts. And that's not even counting Bowen Byram becoming the highest-paid defenseman at an average salary of $12.5 million beginning in 2027 under his new deal with Chicago after he was acquired in a trade with Buffalo.
Byram's time with that distinction may be short if Colorado gets a new contract done with two-time Norris Trophy-winner Cale Makar, which also would go into effect in 2027-28.
The salary cap getting another record increase to $104 million led to some big-money deals but also reduced the depth of available talent because teams had room to re-sign their top players. New Jersey extended captain Nico Hischier, Florida re-signed center Eetu Luostarinen and Philadelphia rewarded goaltender Dan Vladar with a long-term contract.
The Minnesota Wild were busy in re-signing their own free agents and acquiring forward Blake Coleman and defenseman Olli Maatta in a trade with Calgary. The Flames acquired defenseman Jake Middleton and three draft picks, including a second-rounder in 2029. Calgary also agreed to retain 50% of the $4.9 million Coleman is owed in the final year of his contract.
The 34-year-old Coleman has 10 seasons of NHL experience and posted his fourth 20-goal season last year, finishing with 20 goals and 35 points. Matta is a 13-year NHL player noted for his defensive play. The 30-year-old Middleton leaves Minnesota after four-plus seasons.
The Wild signed Maxim Shabanov for $1.6 million for next season after the New York Islanders decided not to bring back the Russian winger.
Minnesota is also bringing back two players by re-signing defenseman Zach Bogosian ($1.25 million) and right wing Nick Foligno ($900,000) to one-year deals.
New York Islanders general manager Mathieu Darche was expecting a break after a busy stretch with the draft and free agency happening less than a week apart. He is also keeping an eye out for the Isles, who have been generally quiet in adding forward Matias Maccelli and backup goalie Vitek Vanecek while losing forward Anders Lee (signed by Utah).
“We’ll have probably over $40 million of cap space next summer," Darche said. “I’m still going to be working the rest of the summer, especially the next couple weeks. A lot of GMs, I won’t lie to you, they go on vacation and it goes pretty silent on the GM chat. But if I have opportunities to improve the team, I will. Every single day, it’s a relentless pursuit of trying to get better.”
AP Sports Writer Dave Campbell in St. Paul, Minnesota, contributed to this report.
AP NHL: https://apnews.com/NHL
FILE - Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin (8) skates in the third period of an NHL hockey game against the Columbus Blue Jackets on April 14, 2026, in Columbus, Ohio. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki, File)
FILE - Ottawa Senators' Claude Giroux (28) waits for a face-off against the Carolina Hurricanes during the third period of an Game 1 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series in Raleigh, N.C., Saturday, April 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Karl DeBlaker,File)
FILE - Detroit Red Wings right wing Patrick Kane (88) against the Tampa Bay Lightning during the third period of an NHL hockey game Monday, April 13, 2026, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara,File)
