Government Eyes Potential Bank Holiday if England Wins World Cup

The government is considering an extra bank holiday if England wins the World Cup, with the final tournament match scheduled for next Sunday.

Officials have reportedly earmarked Friday, 24 July, for a celebratory bank holiday should England secure a victory, marking 60 years since the nation’s first and only win in the competition.

England moved a step closer to the final following a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Norway after extra time on Saturday night. The team relied once again on a brace from the dynamic Jude Bellingham to seal the win.

The Prime Minister remained cautious about confirming the holiday plans when questioned at the Nato summit in Ankara last week, though he did suggest the possibility was under consideration. Sir Keir Starmer told reporters on Wednesday: “I don’t want to jinx it, but ask me again if we get to the final.”

These remarks followed comments from Andy Burnham, who is tipped to replace Sir Keir as prime minister. He previously described the speculation surrounding a bank holiday as “a bit premature.” Following England’s win against the Democratic Republic of Congo on 1 July, he told Andrew Marr on LBC that while it would be a fantastic moment, it was too early to speculate. He added that, as an Evertonian, he does not back anything when it comes to football results.

Meanwhile, Kemi Badenoch stated on Monday that she would likely oppose a bank holiday, arguing that the private sector would continue to work while only the public sector would take the day off. “Sadly, we all know what would happen with a bank holiday – the private sector would still be working and the public sector would take the day off, and you’d all have to pay for it,” she said.

This is not the first time the public has requested a bank holiday for a major football victory. Fans called for a similar celebration after the Lionesses won the Euros last year, though the team was instead honored with an open-top bus parade through central London and a visit to Downing Street.

England must now face Argentina on Wednesday at 8pm BST for a place in the final on 19 July, where they would meet either Spain or France. France currently enters the match as the narrow favorite over Spain.

The Three Lions secured their place in the semi-finals after a tense triumph over Norway. Andreas Schjelderup opened the scoring for Norway in the 36th minute, but Jude Bellingham equalized just before halftime following an assist from Anthony Gordon. After a second Norwegian goal was disallowed by a VAR review at 57 minutes, the teams remained level through nine minutes of stoppage time, forcing the match into extra time. Bellingham scored again shortly after, allowing England to hold off Norway for the remainder of the game, even after the opposition replaced star striker Erling Haaland with Crystal Palace’s Jørgen Strand Larsen.

England fans remained focused on the result, describing the performance as “leggy.” Russell Osborne, 34, from Birmingham, noted: “It was very leggy from the boys, but we got it done. As long as we sent those boys home, that’s all that matters.” Jamie Smith, 31, added: “Shaky first half but dug deep. Jude saved us again.”

Other supporters, such as Scott Bickerton and Ashley Wager, expressed high confidence in the team’s path to the trophy. Mr. Bickerton cited the performance of Bellingham, while Mr. Wager credited the influence of manager Thomas Tuchel and the team’s late-game tenacity, declaring: “It’s definitely coming home.”