Will pubs stay open if Norway vs England is delayed?

The government has said England fans can stay in the pub, even if their World Cup quarter-final with Norway is delayed.

The Three Lions are set to kick-off at 10pm (6pm local time) at the Hard Rock Stadium, in Miami, Florida.

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Extended licensing hours will allow supporters to watch the full game, with venues permitted to stay open until 2am.

This plan has been put in place following England’s previous match against Mexico, which began an hour later than scheduled because of storms.

This decision comes amid the possibility that the game could be pushed back due to extreme temperatures, with local authorities issuing a ‘hazardous heat threat’.

Air temperatures are meant to reach 33C; however, humidity is meant to make it feel closer to 41C.

Additionally, there remains a risk of thunderstorms breaking out at the start of the clash against Norway.

Under FIFA‘s guidelines for playing in extreme heat state that a Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) reading above 28C should lead to the ‘delay or postponement of matches’ and calculations ahead of kick-off predict the WBGT as 28C-30C.

Following the scheduling confusion prior to the Mexico game, Policing Minister Sarah Jones said: “England fans deserve the chance to watch every minute of the quarter-final together, and that is exactly what our extension guarantees.

“After the weather delay we saw before the Mexico game, we want to give fans and venues complete certainty that no-one will miss a moment of the action.”

The threat of extreme weather has been has been a common feature of this World Cup across North America.

The Home Office revealed that these extended hours would apply to any further England games, ensuring venues can remain open for 30 minutes after the final whistle, no matter the time.

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It means pubs will not have to apply for individual extensions due to a legislative power triggered by events of ‘exceptional international, national or local significance.’

So far, the Three Lions have played indoor matches in Dallas and Atlanta, and outdoors in Boston, New Jersey, and Mexico City.

Meanwhile, Norway have played all of their fixtures outside except for once in their last-32 fixture against the Ivory Coast.

Their Round of 16 clash was played in New Jersey under a national extreme heat warning.

Are England prepared?

The Three Lions previously travelled to Florida for their pre-tournament training camp, where they played against new Zealand and Costa Rica.

Additionally, their current training facility is in Kansas, where daily temperatures regularly reach 32-34C.

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Norway played two of their warm-up matches in cooler climates; however, their base is in North Carolina, which reaches a similar level of heat as Kansas.

To combat the climate, FIFA has introduced climate-controlled benches in stadiums and provided additional water and electrolytes.

England have already been tested environmentally at altitude during their 3-2 victory against Mexico at the Azteca Stadium.

In Saturday’s predicted conditions, experts have revealed that players could lose up to the equivalent of eight pints of sweat.

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What has been said?

Ahead of the game, England manager Thomas Tuchel said: “I’m not sure if I tried to change the identity. I try to support the players and build a platform for them to show their qualities.

“I think you see, especially in this World Cup, in our World Cup campaign, that we can play front foot football, we can be aggressive, we like to be active.

“And of course, I think that mentality, togetherness, competitiveness, having the bite and the hunger and the grit is a part of English football, it’s a part of the Premier League.

“You cannot count it in passes and in attacks and ball possession, but these things matter in football. This team and these players have it to the highest level. That’s basically it.”