Keir Starmer has hinted at an extra bank holiday if England brings the World Cup home this July. While there are still two more rounds to play until the final next week, talk has already turned to what will happen if the Three Lions go the distance and actually win the bloody thing.
“On the question of a bank holiday, I think I don’t want to jinx it, but ask me again if we get to the final,” Sir Keir said. The Prime Minister is expected to resign the next day, on July 20, and be replaced by Andy Burnham—making this extra bank holiday a potential parting gift.
Thomas Tuchel’s team will first have to beat Norway in the quarter-finals on Saturday, July 11—no easy task with Manchester City’s free-scoring Haaland in the squad. England will only then have matched the semi-final feats of Italy 1990 and Russia 2018, while the team’s only final appearance is the iconic 1966 win.
The World Cup 2026 final will take place at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, near New York City, on Sunday, July 19, at 8 pm BST. If England wins, an Early Day Motion (EDM) had previously earmarked Monday, July 20, for the bank holiday, but as this clashes with the 2026 Labour Party leadership election, it’s more likely to happen on Friday, July 24.
Who might England play on the way to the 2026 World Cup final?
If England beats Norway on Saturday, July 11, they will face either Argentina or Switzerland on Wednesday, July 15 (who play each other in the early hours of Sunday morning). In the final, England could potentially face one of four teams: France, Morocco, Spain or Belgium.
