What World Cup 2026 matches will be shown in pubs in the UK?

The clock is ticking down to the start of the 2026 World Cup, which will be held across Canada, Mexico and the United States. For the first time in World Cup history, 48 teams will participate in the tournament, representing a significant increase from the 32-nation format that has been used since the 1998 World Cup.

With 48 teams competing across 12 groups and the introduction of a Round of 32 stage, the latest edition of football's biggest tournaments will offer the fans the chance to watch more games than ever before.

The tournament will get underway on June 11, when tournament co-hosts Mexico take on South Africa in Mexico City, and it will end on July 19 when the remaining two nations face off in the final in East Rutherford.

With the competition being held in North America, some of the kick-offs will be at unsociable hours for those watching in the UK, particularly for fans who want to watch games in a pub or bar.

Here, Football Ground Guide details the key information about which matches will be shown in UK establishments.

World Cup opening hours for UK pubs

The UK government has announced that pubs in England and Wales will be able to stay open later for games involving the Three Lions or Scotland. Pubs will able to remain open until 1am for any England or Scotland knockout game that starts between 5pm and 9pm, while the closing time will be 2am for kick-offs between 9pm and 10pm.

In Scotland, alcohol licensing is a devolved issue, which means it is up to individual local authorities to make the final decision over licensed venues.

Will England's group games be available to watch in pubs?

England's first two matches against Croatia and Ghana will start at 9pm (BST) on June 17 and 23 respectively. Their final group match against Panama will start an hour later at 10pm on June 27.

Three Lions fans should be able to watch all three matches in their local pub and bar, although it is best to double-check opening times ahead of the tournament.

Will Scotland's group games be available to watch in pubs?

Scotland fans hoping to attend their local for their first World Cup match since 1998 may be left disappointed. That is because their meeting with Haiti on June 14 does not start until 2am, which leaves local authorities with a difficult decision to make over licensing extensions.

The Tartan Army should be able to pop to a pub or bar for their final two group games against Morocco and Brazil, which both kick off at 11pm on June 19 and June 24 respectively.

What World Cup games will not be shown in UK pubs?

There will be 35 matches at the tournament that will start at midnight or later. In fact, Scotland's match against Haiti is one of nine World Cup matches that will get underway at 2am.

Two of Argentina's group games, Brazil's match against Morocco, Spain's clash with Uruguay and Portugal's meeting with Colombia are among those that start past midnight and will not be shown in UK pubs.

Looking further ahead, there are six Round of 32 games that will start at 12am or later. Fortunately, the kick-off times become more reasonable for UK viewers as the tournament progresses. Just two last-16 games start at 1am, while only one quarter-final match will kick off at 2am.

The two semi-finals on July 12 and 14 and the final on July 19 will start at 8pm, making them prime time for a trip to the pub.