England will take on Mexico in the early hours of Monday morning, with the game in Mexico City kicking off at 1am UK time.
Thousands of fans across London and the rest of the UK will be staying up late – or getting up incredibly early – to watch Thomas Tuchel’s men attempt to reach the quarter-finals.
A number of schools and businesses in the capital have confirmed that they will be opening late on Monday to allow people to watch the game.
Unions have called for employers to be “flexible” regarding the match, while data by Gong Labs, a platform that connects to business calls and emails, has suggested that companies have scheduled almost a third fewer meetings on Monday.
Pubs will be allowed to stay open to 5am on Monday
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With over 1,000 venues set to be open until as late as 5am, police have pleaded with fans to be considerate to others and drink “sensibly” during the game.
England fans react while watching the World Cup
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From a total of 102 Londoners polled on Thursday, 35% planned on skipping work, with only 20% saying they would be working as usual on Monday morning.
Around 7% said they had booked the day off especially for the game, while 18% of Londoners surveyed said that they would be working from home.
So when will the match finish? There are a number of different scenarios in play.
The game kicks off at 6pm local time on Sunday – or 1am in the UK.
That means, should the game finish in normal time, it will end sometime around 3am.
Extra time – and possibly penalties
If the sides remain tied after 90 minutes, extra time and possibly penalties will follow.
That would take the finish time to around 4am.
There is, however, a third possibility, that would be somewhat of a nightmare scenario for England fans and police alike.
The possibility of thunderstorms in the area could result in long weather delays either during or before the match.
Mexico’s win over Ecuador in the last 16 at the same venue on Tuesday was delayed by an hour due to storms, while France’s victory over Iraq in Philadelphia was paused by two hours earlier in the tournament.
England’s warm-up match against Costa Rica in Orlando was also hit by weather delays.
A lightning storm delayed the match between Mexico and Ecuador on Tuesday
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According to the Met Office forecast as of Friday afternoon, thunderstorms are expected near the Estadio Azteca around the time the match is supposed to kick off, which could well delay the game’s start.
Under tournament rules, any lightning strike detected within eight miles of a stadium would result in an immediate delay or suspension.
A match can only then resume after 30 minutes has passed since the last lightning strike, with that countdown resetting if more inclement weather arrives.
That means the match might not start until well after 1am – or have delays potentially hours long during the match itself.
With pubs allowed to open until 5am, it is possible the match will still be going on with venues being forced to close – which could result in rowdy fans hitting the streets around the time of morning rush hour.
