England fans watching the World Cup quarterfinal against Norway will be able to stay in pubs until 30 minutes after the final whistle, the UK government confirmed. The match is scheduled to kick off at 22:00 BST, with the game being played at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Florida.
The extension was put in place partly because of the threat of heat delays. Miami is forecast to see daytime temperatures peak at 33 degrees Celsius, though high humidity will make conditions feel closer to 43 degrees, according to BBC lead weather presenter Matt Taylor. The National Weather Service issued a heat advisory for the city from 11:00 to 19:00 local time.
"It's going to be a tough day for players and spectators alike in Miami, as heat and humidity levels soar," Taylor said.
The government's decision follows confusion before England's match against Mexico on July 2, when the game at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City was delayed an hour due to heavy rain and lightning. FIFA had initially considered moving the game forward, then reversed course, leaving fans and venues uncertain about timings.
Policing Minister Sarah Jones said the new extension was designed to prevent a repeat of that uncertainty.
"England fans deserve the chance to watch every minute of the quarter-final together, and that is exactly what our extension guarantees," Jones said. "After the weather delay we saw before the Mexico game, we want to give fans and venues complete certainty that no-one will miss a moment of the action."
The blanket extension means individual venues do not need to apply for special licenses. The Home Office said Saturday that extended hours will apply to any further England matches, including potentially the final. The home secretary holds the legislative power to extend licensing hours for occasions of "exceptional international, national or local significance."
At kick-off time, the risk of storms in Miami stands at roughly 20 to 30 percent, according to Taylor. Any lightning reported within eight miles of the stadium would trigger an automatic 30-minute delay.
On the field, Norway comes into the match with striker Erling Haaland in sharp form. The 25-year-old has scored seven goals in five World Cup appearances, putting him one behind France's Kylian Mbappe and Argentina's Lionel Messi, who each have eight. Haaland has also become one of the tournament's biggest off-field personalities, with over 60 million Instagram followers. A remix by Norwegian DJ Kygo of a rap song Haaland first recorded as a teenager recently reached number one in Norway. Jones said she hoped pubs would be "packed" as England "hopefully move one step closer to bringing football home."
