Pubs' SOS for more beer ahead of marathon 22-hour World Cup session
Pubs have sent out an SOS for more beer ahead of a marathon booze session that could last up to 22 hours as England fans prepare to watch the last-16 showdown with Mexico. Landlords are worried they will be drunk dry and have made an urgent plea to brewery bosses to truck in extra supplies ahead of the football marathon.
The match will start at 1am on Monday as scheduled after FIFA shelved plans to move the kick-off forward to dodge incoming thunderstorms at the Estadio Azteca. With extra-time and penalties, it could go on until 4am. Should lightning strike within eight miles of the stadium, play will be halted until storms pass, which could take the game into breakfast.
Sir Keir Starmer has allowed pubs to stay open until 5am for the match. For some, that means they will have been serving non-stop since 7am on Sunday, the earliest time most are allowed to open in the UK. Analysts reckon more than 38 million pints will be supped during England's longest-ever Sunday session. More than 500,000 fans are set to watch the match in 6,000 of England's pubs, with around 20 percent of the nation's boozers expected to use the Prime Minister's special 5am licence extension.
Fans are expected to consume 17 million pints in pubs throughout the day, six million more than normal, with another 21 million supped at football house parties according to British Beer and Pub Association data. This would be television's biggest post-midnight audience for 41 years, since 18.5 million tuned into the 1985 World Cup Snooker championship final between Dennis Taylor and Steve Davis.
Mike Kill, chief executive officer of the Night Time Industries Association, said: "Operators across the country are focused on making sure they have enough stock from breweries for one of the busiest trading weekends of the year."
However, industry sources revealed many pubs will not show the game due to staff shortages, lack of preparation time, and fear of upsetting their neighbours.