England’s long wait for World Cup glory has stretched for 60 years, but with another talented generation chasing football’s biggest prize, supporters are daring to dream once again. If the ‘Three Lions‘ were to go all the way and lift the trophy, celebrations would almost certainly sweep the country.

That raises a question many fans ask every time England enjoy a deep run at a major tournament: would the government declare a bank holiday?

Calls for an extra day off have followed previous successes in football, cricket and other major sporting events, but there is no automatic rule that a World Cup triumph would lead to one.

Will There Be a Bank Holiday if England Win the World Cup?

Paul Childs via Reuters

While it is still unclear as to whether or not the Prime Minister would be willing to announce a day of national celebration, should England win the World Cup, Keir Starmer is yet to rule it out.

Speaking in July at the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, the PM refused to be drawn into giving a concrete answer when asked about a potential day of mass celebrations, saying:

Starmer’s comments came after England’s thrilling 3-2 win over co-hosts Mexico in the round of 16, which saw Jude Bellingham get his name on the scoresheet twice in two minutes, before Harry Kane’s 60th minute penalty secured a nervy win following Jarell Quansah’s red card early in the second half.

Speaking about the game, the PM hailed the victory as “one of the best England performances I’ve ever seen.”

There had already been calls for the Prime Minister to announce a World Cup-related bank holiday, after the Scottish parliament granted a one-off bank holiday following their early morning clash with Haiti in the group stage.

According to The Guardian, Starmer is expected to announce a bank holiday if England get their hands on the famous trophy. However, given that he will be handing over the keys to No.10 following his resignation from his post, it will likely be his expected successor, Andy Burnham, who would welcome Harry Kane and the boys home, if they go all the way.

When Could it Be?

Some fans have suggested that Monday 20th July, the day after the final, would be the most appropriate day for the public to stay home and celebrate. If that were to be the case, it would likely help to prevent the scenes observed in workplaces up and down the country following England’s thrilling victory over Mexico, which saw pubs given special permission to stay open until 5am following the delayed 2am kick-off time, and resulted in some sore heads stumbling into work just hours later.

The PM stepped in to ensure that the kick-off time against Mexico remained unchanged, after FIFA revealed plans to bring the game forward, with the game under threat due to a looming thunderstorm over the Azteca.

However, it is unlikely to be the Monday after the final as the 20th is expected to be Andy Burnham’s first day in office. Therefore, any celebrations are expected to be put on ice until later in the week to prevent a clash of schedules.

Instead, reports from GB News have suggested that Friday 24th July, one week after the final in New Jersey, has been earmarked as a potential date, which would coincide with the players’ homecoming and trophy parade.

Has it Happened Before?

Whilst many fans clamored for a bank holiday to celebrate the successes of the England Lionesses, after the women’s national team secured back-to-back European championships in 2022 and 2025, the UK has never been given a day of national celebration following sporting success, even after the ‘Three Lions’ lifted the Jules Rimet trophy back in 1966.

Instead, the Lionesses were welcomed back to the UK with a reception at Downing Street, having returned from Switzerland as Euro winners in 2025. Although, Starmer has previously hinted at a celebratory bank holiday, saying that their 2022 triumph should be “marked with a proper day of celebration.”

England’s Bank Holidays in 2026

Paul Childs via Action Images via Reuters

Only three bank holidays will remain if England fail to force another one by winning the World Cup. Britons will be able to soak up the last of the summer sun over the summer bank holiday on Monday 30th August, whilst the Christmas and Boxing Day bank holidays will be moved to Monday 27th and Tuesday 28th December respectively, as the festive period falls on a weekend this year.

Morocco’s rise on the international stage has made them one of world football’s most inspiring success stories. From becoming the first African nation to reach a World Cup semi-final in 2022, to establishing themselves among the continent’s elite, the ‘Atlas Lions’ have built a squad capable of competing with the very best.

But beneath that success lies a fascinating story of identity, migration and football development. Whilst Morocco represents a nation of over 38 million people, just seven members of their current 26-man squad were actually born in the country, meaning that head coach Mohamed Ouahbi could potentially field a Moroccan XI consisting entirely of players who were born outside the nation.

So where were the players in the Moroccan squad born?

Canada – 1

Morocco’s 35-year-old shot stopper, Yassine Bounou, was born some 6000km away from the nation which he represents. ‘Bono’, who featured against his birth nation in Morocco’s 3-0 victory in the round of 16, was offered a spot in the Canadian national team by former coach Benito Floro, but the goalkeeper swore his allegiance to the homeland of his parents.

His father, Mehmed, taught physics at a university in Montreal, with his mother, Maica, working as a hairdresser. After almost ten years, the pair, along with a three-year-old Bounou, decided to move back to Casablanca.

Belgium – 3

Alongside head coach Ouahbi, who has Moroccan roots but was born in Brussels, three of Morocco’s squad members were born in Belgium. Fullback Zakaria El Ouahdi, who plays in the Belgian Pro league with Genk, was born in Hoboken in the Antwerp Province, whilst former Leicester midfielder, Bilal El Khannouss, was also born in northern Belgium.

Chemsdine Talbi, who came through the ranks at Club Brugge and was reportedly wanted by West Ham before making the switch to Sunderland last summer, was also born in Belgium, in the city of Sambreville.

Netherlands – 3

Much like their European neighbors, the Netherlands serves as the birthplace for over 10% of the Moroccan national team. Sofyan Amrabat, whose eye-catching performances at the 2022 World Cup secured him a loan move to Manchester United, featured for both Utrecht and Feyenoord in the early stages of his career, having been born in the Dutch town of Huizen.

Former Manchester United teammate Noussair Mazraoui was also born in the Netherlands and kickstarted his career with Ajax before moving to German giants Bayern Munich. Similarly, left back Anass Salah-Eddine also honed his craft in the Dutch capital, having been born in Amsterdam.

France – 6

Burt Granofsky/Cal Sport Media/Sipa USA

Almost a quarter of Morocco’s entire 26-man squad could have featured for ‘Les Blues’ by right of birthplace. Centre-back duo Issa Diop and Redouane Halhal were both born in France, whilst Ayyoub Bouaddi and Samir El Mourabet both still compete in the birth nation, for Lille and Strasbourg respectively.

Gessime Yassine also plays for Strasbourg, having moved from Dunkerque during the 2026 January transfer window, whilst Roma’s Neil El Aynaoui started out at Ligue 2 side Nancy.

Spain – 6

Caean Couto via Reuters

Similarly, a sizable portion of the Moroccan squad were born across the Alboran Sea in Spain. National team captain, Achraf Hakimi, was born in the Spanish capital of Madrid, before starting his professional career with Real. Current Real Madrid star, Brahim Diaz, initially represented Spain, earning a single cap after an international friendly against Lithuania in 2021 before switching to represent Morocco.

Shotstopper Munir Mohamedi was actually born on the North African coast in the Spanish autonomous city of Melilla, whilst Crystal Palace centre-half Chadi Riad was also born in Spain. The two remaining Spanish-born Moroccans are Eintracht Frankfurt’s Ayoube Amaimouni and Bayern Munich’s recent transfer Ismael Saibari.

Morocco – 7

Just over a quarter of the entire Moroccan national team were actually born within the borders of the country they represent. Goalkeeper Ahmed Reda Tagnaouti still plays his domestic football in his birth country, with FAR Rabat, whilst Marwane Saadane started his career at rivals FUS Rabat, before a stint in Turkey saw him move to Al Fateh FC in Saudi Arabia.

Defender Youssef Belammari played in Morocco for seven years before moving to Egypt’s Al Ahly SC, whilst 26-year-old Azzedine Ounahi has featured in three top-flight divisions across Europe. Forwards Ayoub El Kaabi and Soufiane Rahimi were both born in the North African nation, whilst Angers’ winger Amine Sbaï was born in Sidi Kacem.

The hotly anticipated bout between British boxing legends Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua will have an unusual start time if it is to take place at Wembley Stadium.

Saudi Arabian boxing chief Turki Alalshikh, who is the major driving force behind the bout, has said that the fight will need to take place at a time that is suitable for the global audience. He also said he would hold talks with the Mayor of London, Sir Sadiq Khan, in hope of securing approval of the late start time.

Khan has previously stated his support for the fight to be held in London but has yet to comment on a possible start time. Alalshikh had previously posted on social media saying he had so far been told the later start time was not an option.

There is currently an 11pm curfew for Wembley Stadium. Brent Council, who would have a big involvement in allowing the extension of that curfew, have said that it would be assessed by the stadium’s safety advisory group.

Turki Alalshikh Confirms Planned Start Time For Fury vs Joshua

Responding to a social media report from Sky Sports regarding the start time, Alalshikh wrote “2am”, confirming a late-night kick-off for British fans for the biggest fight in the country’s history, if it is to happen at Wembley.

The reason for the 2am start time is so that the fight is at a suitable time for the US audience. Speaking prior to his tweet, Turki stated:

“I tell you from the beginning, it depends if England gives us all that we need. We want the fight here in England. But we want the time zone of all the world, especially in America. If they allowed us to have Wembley late in the night, we want to do it in England. It is about the time and viewership.”

Fans React to Planned Fury vs Joshua Start Time

Despite Alalshikh making the situation clear, fans were absolutely fuming after hearing news of the planned 2am start time, with many holding nothing back as they replied to the Saudi power broker.

“You absolute rat, it’s a British fight between two Brits in Britain. It should be on in British time, not at two in the morning,” raged one fan.

A second agreed: “This is a UK fight with two UK heavyweights. A fight in winter in the UK at 2am with no roof? You are an idiot!”

Another asked: “Why? Please explain why Americans are being catered to for a BRITISH fight between two BRITISH fighters. I don’t think Americans even care about this fight,” before a final reply simply stated: “No thanks, mate. 2am might have worked for me five years ago!”

Speaking on the potential for Wembley to host the fight, a spokesperson for Sadiq Khan said: “Sadiq has made clear that London would be the perfect place to stage the long-awaited bout between Anthony Joshua vs Tyson Fury and the Mayor stands ready to support ambitions to bring the event to our capital as we build a better London for everyone.”

Despite this, Alalshikh later posted on social media: “Hopefully a positive statement from the Mayor of London’s office about a later start time if Fury v Joshua is in London, as so far we have been told it is not possible.”

Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn recently backed up Turki’s reasoning for the planned late-night start time when speaking exclusively to GIVEMESPORT. No official date has been announced for the fight yet, but it is rumoured to have been pencilled in for November.

Both Fury and Joshua will warm up for their bout with fights later this month. Firstly, Fury will face Mariusz Wach on the 24th of July in Thailand, before Joshua faces Kristian Prenga the next day in Saudi Arabia. Both bouts, ironically, are set to be in UK prime time.