Councillors turn down East Sussex pub’s bid to show late night World Cup games

A licensing panel from Wealden District Council rejected a bid from The White Hart on the Green in Crowborough to extend its opening hours for two late-night 2026 FIFA World Cup fixtures.

The decision, made on Wednesday, 15 April 2026, followed objections from the council's Environmental Health team regarding potential noise disturbances for local residents. 

Rejected Extension Details:-

The pub had submitted Temporary Event Notices (TENs) seeking to remain open significantly later than its standard licence allowed for two potential England knockout matches: 

• Friday, 3 July 2026: Requested opening until 4:00 am for a midnight kick-off.
• Monday, 6 July 2026: Requested opening until 5:00 am for a midnight kick-off. 

Approved Late-Night Screening:-

While the July requests were denied, the pub was successfully granted a separate TEN for an earlier game: 

• Saturday, 27 June 2026: Extended hours were approved for the England v Panama match, which is scheduled to kick off at 10:00 pm. 

National vs. Local Licensing Rules:-

The rejected July fixtures fall outside the UK government's general relaxation of licensing laws for the 2026 tournament. Under national guidelines: 

• 1:00 am closing is permitted for knockout matches kicking off between 5:00 pm and 9:00 pm.
• 2:00 am closing is permitted for knockout matches kicking off between 9:00 pm and 10:00 pm.
• Matches kicking off after 10:00 pm (such as the midnight games requested by The White Hart) still require individual TEN applications, which are subject to local authority approval and potential objections from police or environmental health.