Northampton pubs set to welcome fans of the Three Lions for crunch match

After the Prime Minister's announcement of extended opening hours for England's last-16 tie with Mexico, some pubs in the town are set to keep their doors open until the early hours so fans can watch the match

Andy Durrant | Sunday 5th July 2026 7:26pm

We don’t know yet if football really is coming home, but if you’re going out on Sunday night then you won’t have to with pubs in Northampton set to take advantage of extended opening hours for England’s next big match.

After Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer announced on Thursday that pubs in England and Wales will be allowed to stay open until 05:00 on Monday morning for England’s last-16 tie with Mexico (kick-off 01:00 BST), a number of Northampton’s most popular venues are set to welcome fans of the Three Lions as they bid for a quarter-final place and a step closer to ending 60 years of hurt.

Licensing hours had already been extended for the tournament from 23:00 to 01:00 for games kicking-off between 17:00 and 21:00 and up until 02:00 for kick-offs between 21:00 and 22:00. 

The government had initially said that licensing laws would not be relaxed any further, but the outgoing PM, who announced his resignation last week with new Makerfield MP, Andy Burnham the frontrunner to replace him, later said that pubs could stay open until the match is over. 

The game will not finish before 03:00 at the earliest and should it go to extra-time and (whisper it) penalties, it will be an even later night.

The hospitality industry has faced a difficult few years, and bosses have welcomed the change of heart; chief executive of the British Beer and Pub Association, Emma McClarkin said, "We all know the best place to watch the match is down the local,” while Michael Kill, chief executive of the Night Time Industries Association added, it was "fantastic news" that would be "hugely welcomed by operators.”

The government was passing emergency legislation through parliament on Friday to allow the extended opening hours to go ahead. Local Government Secretary Steve Reed said that the previous extension "hadn't covered the eventuality of England playing so late in the night", adding: "This is one of the fastest changes in the law that we've seen." 

For a while it looked as if kick-off may have been brought forward six hours to 19:00 BST UK time due to storms that are forecast in the Mexico City area around the time of the match, with the world game's governing body FIFA concerned about the potential impact of lightning and flooding. However, after five-and-a-half hours of uncertainty, it was confirmed just before midnight in the UK that the match would go ahead as originally scheduled.

So, now everybody knows where things stand, where in Northampton can you watch the match? We have compiled a list here of those we currently know about, which we will keep updated as more venues confirm their plans.

The Abington - Wellingborough Road (Table booking in operation)

Bar Rumba - Abington Square

Barratts Club - Kingsthorpe Road

The Black Prince - Abington Square

The Bold Dragoon - High Street, Weston Favell

TCB - Earl Street

The Collingtree - Butts Croft Close, East Hunsbury

The County - Abington Avenue (Fully booked)

The Crown and Anchor - Victoria Road (Table bookings only)

Crown & Cushion - Wellingborough Road

Deers Leap - Fieldmill Road, Bellinge (Advanced bookings only)

Eastern District Club - Lodge Farm, Crestwood Wood (Refundable table reservations)

The Fish - Fish Street

Foundryman Arms - St James' Road

Gallery - Farmhill Road, Southfields

The Gardeners Arms - Wellingborough Road

Kingsley Park WMC - Kingsley Park Terrace

Lumbertubs - Lumbertubs Lane (Table booking in operation)

The Melbourne Arms - Melbourne Lane, Duston

O'Neills - St Giles' Street (Limited tables left)

The Penny Loafer - Market Square

The Phipps - Wellingborough Road

Picturedrome - Kettering Road

The Pomfret Arms - Cotton End (Booking essential)

Quays - Crow Lane, Little Billing (Table booking in operation)

Queens Park WMC - Cranbrook Road (Strictly members only, no associate members or guests)

Sevens - Weedon Road (Fully booked)

Sixfields - Sixfields Leisure (Table booking in operation)

Spinney Hill - Kettering Road (Table booking in operation)

Standens Inn - Standens Barn Road

The Sunnyside - Boughton Green Road

Thomas 'A' Becket - St James' Road

The Venue - Billing Aquadrome

The Vocal Club - Bailiff Street

The White Elephant - Kingsley Park Terrace

Whitehills - Whitehills Way (Table booking in operation)

The Wig and Pen - St Giles' Street

• Contact venues for further information regarding entry

England, while remaining unbeaten in the tournament, have not been totally convincing so far. The best performance to date was the 4-2 victory over Croatia in the opening group game, whilst they struggled to break down Ghana in the second match, drawing 0-0, and laboured to a 2-0 win over Panama in game three. England have looked suspect defensively, with some of manager Thomas Tuchel’s selection’s being questioned, especially the decision not to pick Real Madrid defender Trent Alexander-Arnold in the squad - highlighted further with a number of injuries to players who can play at right-back, Alexander-Arnold’s preferred position.

Tuchel’s side were 15 minutes from elimination when they trailed 1-0 to DR Congo in their round-of-32 match on Wednesday, until captain Harry Kane came to the rescue with two goals to see them through to Monday’s game at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City, where the hosts have a formidable record. El Tri, as the Mexican national side are known, have lost only two of their last 89 matches there. Add in the stadium being 2,240 metres (7,349 feet) above sea level and the associated altitude, it is shaping up to be the toughest assignment yet for England. However, it must be said that England will be the most difficult opponents that Mexico have faced so far as well.

Kane and Jude Bellingham of Real Madrid, have been England’s best players so far stateside. Kane’s double against the Congolese took him to five goals in the tournament so far and above Gary Lineker as England’s top scorer at the World Cup. He is also his country's all-time leading goalscorer with 84 goals in 118 appearances.

It all comes on top of him scoring an astonishing 61 goals for German champions Bayern Munich last season.

If you are going out, there are reminders to drink responsibly though. Monday has not been declared as a bank holiday, so many staying out will have to go to work the following morning, with employers being advised to set “clear expectations” regarding the following day.

Drivers are also being reminded that they should not get behind the wheel too early on Monday if they have been drinking, with motoring organisation the RAC saying those who stay up "shouldn't drive until they're fully rested and hydrated". 

However, if you are going out, have fun, I doubt you’ll be seeing me though, I’ll be trying to stay awake on the sofa!

Image credit: Ivan Pierre Aguirre/AP

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