Why Clubs and Village Halls should be hosting the World Cup
The FIFA World Cup offers an excellent opportunity for clubs to increase footfall, sell drinks and run events. In 2026, the World Cup will be hosted by USA, Canada and Mexico with games being played at 9pm, and some matches starting as late at 5am.
The Government have announced a late extension to opening hours for home nation games. Licenses premises will be permitted to open until 1am for England or Scotland matches in the knockout stages that kick off between 5pm and 9pm, and until 2am for kick-offs between 9pm and 10pm.
The World Cup poses a worthwhile financial opportunity for clubs, helping to bring the community together and increase the profile of your club or village hall. But larger crowds mean more prominent risks! Club owners need to ensure they have everything in place before the world cup, and consider having a quick conversation with Club Insure for the peace of mind that their insurance policy is adequate.
When are England playing at the World Cup?
- England vs Croatia – Wednesday June 17, Dallas, 9pm (UK time)
- England vs Ghana – Tuesday June 23, Boston, 9pm (UK time)
- Panama vs England – Saturday June 27, New York-New Jersey, 10pm (UK time)
When are Scotland playing at the World Cup?
- Haiti vs Scotland – Sunday June 14, Boston, 2am (UK time)
- Scotland vs Morocco – Friday June 19, Boston, 11pm (UK time)
- Scotland vs Brazil – Wednesday June 24, Miami, 11pm (UK time)
Submit a Temporary Event Notices to your local council
The Government have asked councils to sign-off on as many Temporary Event Notices as possible. Licensed premises (on-trade only) can extend their hours without a Temporary Event Notice.
Matches starting before 5pm or after 10pm will not benefit from a national extension (information true as of 9th June 2026) – therefore a Temporary Event Notice will be required.
Apply for a temporary event notice here
Quickly Review your Insurance before the World Cup
At Club Insure, we recommend all clubs review their insurance before the home nation games at the World Cup. This is a period of increase risk, and the likelihood of incidents resulting to costly claims rises significantly during England and Scotland games. A Club Insure expert will be able to confidentially review your policy to ensure you are fully covered.
The main insurance types which will need to be reviewed are:
Public Liability Insurance – The likelihood for slips and trips is heightened over the world cup period. Disorderly behaviour and drunken patrons is to be expected, and as such crowd-related injuries can result in claims.
Employers Liability Insurance – The world cup will be a very busy time for bars at clubs, and taking on more staff on temporary contracts might be necessary. Employers liability insurance is legally required and all staff, including temporary staff need to be covered by your policy.
Contents Insurance – Preparing for the world cup can involve acquiring more equipment. Whether that’s screens, speakers, projectors and seating for a watch-a-long event, or sound equipment for the huge celebratory nights out. A club’s Sums Insured for contents should cover the total cost of the items on the premises, in the event of a fire or flood.
Stock Insurance – Food, drinks, cups, glass and one-use plastics will all need to be purchased as to not witness a shortfall and lose potential income. Stock insurance protects stock from any damages, fire or water damage, but with an abundance of stock on the premises, policyholders will need to make sure their insurance limits are up to date.
Streaming licenses – Much of the World Cup will be streamed via BBC and ITV. To legally stream television in a club, the owners much purchase a commercial tv license, as well as a music license. Some World Cup games will be shown on Youtube, therefore Youtube Premium without ads may also be a worthwhile investment.
Capacity limits – For events, capacity limits need to be enforced or considerably increased. If an incident occurs with a club above maximum capacity, serious consequences can follow.
CCTV – Clubs and village halls should ensure their CCTV is operations and all-encompassing. Best practice, every possible legally-permitted area of the premises should be covered. This will help to prevent or resolve claims involving thefts and accidents.