Pubs call for special alcohol rules on Sunday for Women's World Cup final

Dare I say it... but may football be coming home?

Well, there's certainly a chance it could on Sunday when the Lionesses face Spain in the World Cup final Down Under.

England have faced a stern test on their route to the final, coming out on top in a penalty shoot-out against Nigeria and beating the Aussies on home soil on Wednesday.

And I think us Brits all know that football and alcohol go hand-in-hand when the footie is going well.

Well, unfortunately for us, the World Cup is in Australia and New Zealand - meaning games typically take place in the morning.

The World Cup final on Sunday kicks off at 11.00am UK time, though most boozers up and down the country can only start serving alcohol legally from 11.00am.

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Obviously, footie fans will want to indulge in a few pints prior to kick-off to help calm the nerves.

It's the first World Cup final England have been involved in since 1966 after all!

As a result, pubs are calling for licensing laws to be relaxed to allow venues to serve alcohol from 10.00am ahead of the final kicking off an hour later.

The plea has been issued by British Beer and Pub Association, though approval to serve alcohol prior to a pub's licensing agreement has to be granted by both the House of Commons and the House of Lords under the Licensing Act 2003.

The agreement is certainly not an uncommon one, with such relaxing of rules previously approved for the men's Euro final against Italy in 2020 (the less said about that the better) and the Platinum Jubilee.

Unfortunately, parliament is in recess, and it's not expected that MPs will be recalled to vote on a potential relaxing of rules.

Individual pubs can actually apply for a special exemption to serve alcohol before their license permits, but this usually requires several days' notice.

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Obviously, that would involve applying for the license prior to confirmation England were in the final, something the BBPA reckons not a lot of pubs have done.

"As England enter their first World Cup final since 1966, we need the government to step in and allow the necessary regulatory easement to allow pubs to serve the public from 10:00 on final day, so fans and communities can come together and cheer the Lionesses to victory," Emma McClarkin, its boss, told the BBC.

"Where there's a will, there has to be a way."

Fingers crossed footie fans.

I wouldn't get your hopes up for a bank holiday if England win though, mind.