On July 3, The Athletic reported that the UK government will allow pubs across England and Wales to remain open until 5 AM next Monday, enabling fans to watch England's FIFA World Cup Round of 16 match against Mexico.

The match will be held at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, with kickoff at 1 AM UK time. Earlier on Thursday, the government stated that it would not further relax alcohol licensing regulations for this summer's tournament.

However, later that afternoon, then-Prime Minister Starmer confirmed that pubs would be allowed to extend their opening hours for this knockout match, which is not expected to finish before 3 AM.

In the UK, most pubs typically close at 11 PM under the Licensing Act 2003.

The government announced in March that pubs in England and Wales could stay open until 2 AM when "home teams" such as England or Scotland reached the later stages of the tournament; quarterfinals with a 10 PM kickoff could extend until 2 AM; and quarterfinals, semifinals, or the final with a 9 PM or earlier kickoff could remain open until 1 AM.

However, this 1 AM (British Summer Time) Round of 16 match against Mexico was not covered by the previous extension permits.

Any pub wishing to extend its opening hours must apply for a Temporary Event Notice at least five working days in advance. This means pubs that did not submit their applications by Friday, June 26, will no longer be able to apply for an extension.

The UK government had previously ruled out further extensions to pub opening hours after England defeated the Democratic Republic of Congo in the Round of 32.

Liberal Democrat MP Max Wilkinson asked the government in the House of Commons on Thursday whether they would consider further relaxing regulations for Sunday's match, but Business Minister Kate Dearden said they would not.

After praising England captain Harry Kane's performance against the Democratic Republic of Congo, she said: "Pubs can have an additional two to three hours of opening time, depending on when the match ends, so they can still be open when the match finishes."

"As for Sunday's match, unfortunately, this does not apply to a 1 AM kickoff. However, we will continue to support the pub industry in the future so that everyone can watch and support our team, and hopefully, 'football comes home'."

However, outgoing Prime Minister Starmer later clarified that pubs would still be allowed to extend their opening hours so fans could watch the match.

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