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

We are now into the knockout stages of the 2026 World Cup, and it has been a bumper edition so far for the thousands of fans watching around the world.

Although the number of games per day is starting to reduce, they are now all going to be played at more reasonable times for fans in the UK.

Some of the kick-offs so far have been at unsociable hours for those watching in the UK, particularly for fans prefer watching games in a pub or bar.

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

World Cup opening hours for UK pubs

Before the tournament, the UK government announced that pubs in England and Wales would be able to stay open later for games involving the Three Lions or Scotland. Pubs have been allowed to remain open until 1am for all England and Scotland matches that started between 5pm and 9pm, while the closing time has been 2am for kick-offs between 9pm and 10pm.

Ahead of England's 1am showdown with Mexico in Mexico City on Sunday, the Government have announced that pubs are allowed to remain open until 5am.

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

Before the tournament began, we calculated that there was going to be a total of 35 matches at the tournament unavailable for pubs in the UK.

That included two of Argentina's group games, Brazil's match against Morocco, Spain's clash with Uruguay and Portugal's meeting with Colombia.

England's match with Mexico was included in that number, so we can now reduce it to 34. Fortunately, the kick-off times become more reasonable for UK viewers from here on out.. Just two round of 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.

After taking in our pub guide, you can peruse our World Cup betting guide as the clock ticks down to the first game.