Millions set to leave work early tomorrow to cheer on England against DR Congo in first World Cup knockout match while sinking 3.5m GALLONS of beer

Published: 11:05, 30 June 2026 | Updated: 11:23, 30 June 2026 Loyal England fans are expected to leave work early in their millions tomorrow - in order to cheer on England as they take on the Democratic Republic of Congo. Workers will abandon their desks and ditch last-minute meetings to head to the pub or dash home to watch England's first World Cup 2026 knockout match, as the race for the trophy narrows to the last 32 countries. Supporters are expected to drink 28 million pints - equivalent to three and a half million gallons - of beer at the pub and at home from the moment of the 5pm kick-off. It is the first time UK fans will benefit from a 1am nationwide late licensing extension, which will see pub doors kept open from 11pm to 1am. The extra two-hour drinking window, as predicted by British Beer and Pub Association, will see 14 million pints pulled in pubs and 14 million more pints drunk at home while England battles it out.  Meanwhile, experts predict some staff will go further and pull a sickie on 'Bunk Off Wednesday' and dedicate their whole day to boozy pre-match partying. Tomorrow night's game follows England's 2-0 victory against Panama on Saturday night, thanks to goals scored by captain Harry Kane and midfielder Jude Bellingham.  England fans celebrate at Ultra Warehouse Derby as England scores against Panama on Saturday night Supporters celebrate after Jude Bellingham's goal as they watch a screening of the match at Depot Mayfield, Manchester Fans jumped onto the tables as they celebrated an England victory on Saturday night  The UK Government's blanket licensing extension allows all 35,000 pubs in Britain to stay open until 1am for England's knockout matches, which kick-off between 5pm and 9pm.  England's hopeful triumph over the DR Congo will push Thomas Tuchel's men into the last-16, where they will face either Mexico or Ecuador in Mexico City next Monday morning. With a 1am start, the game could run as late as 4am if penalties come into play.   However, dreams of a bank holiday hinged on England's victory were crushed this week. A spokesperson for the Prime Minister told reporters on Monday there was 'no plans' for a bank holiday if England beat the DR Congo. The DR Congo, with a global ranking of 41, finished third in Group K and are top of the third-place table.  Mike Kill, CEO of the Night Time Industries Association, which represents pubs and other venues, said: 'A 5pm kick-off on Wednesday means pubs will be packed from the afternoon, with the later licensing hours meaning pubs can make the most of what could be one of the biggest trading nights of the year. 'Thousands of extra pints will be pulled in bars. It's a vital boost to takings at a time when many venues desperately need the additional revenue.' Alan Price, CEO at BrightHR, which monitors absence among over a million employees at over 50,000 UK companies, said: 'With a 5pm kick-off for the England game, it looks like "Bunk Off Wednesday". England secured a 2-0 victory against Panama on Saturday night, with thanks to Harry Kane (pictured) and Jude Bellingham  'Businesses should expect a slowdown from mid-afternoon as millions of employees stop work early to get to the pub or back home in time for the match. 'And employers are likely to see an influx of sickness absences as some staff are tempted by a whole afternoon in the pub before the game.' Elsewhere, Monday night saw Germany's first-ever World Cup penalty shootout defeat - losing to Paraguay, which has odds of 450-1 to win the tournament. Meanwhile Morocco, fresh from a second-place finish in Group C with Brazil, secured a 3-2 win on penalties over the Netherlands, prompting the latter's swift elimination from the tournament.  The comments below have not been moderated. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.