Will We Get An Extra Bank Holiday If England Win The World Cup?

England are two wins away from a first World Cup title since 1966, and ministers are already being asked how the country might celebrate it. The Three Lions beat Norway 2-1 in extra time at the weekend and face Argentina tonight in Atlanta, kicking off at 8pm, with a place in Sunday’s final against Spain – who saw off France 2-0 last night – at stake. If the England men’s team can secure their first World Cup victory in 60 years, will the Prime Minister give the country an extra bank holiday to celebrate it?

What Starmer Has Said So Far

Keir Starmer has been careful not to get ahead of himself. Asked about a bank holiday at the Nato summit last week, he said: ‘I don’t want to jinx it, but ask me again if we get to the final.’ According to the Evening Standard, the Prime Minister will attend the final at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey should England get past Argentina, and Downing Street insiders have indicated he’d announce an extra day off if the team wins.

There’s an added complication, though. Starmer is due to leave office on Monday 20 July, when he will be handing over to Andy Burnham. Asked earlier this month whether he’d back a bank holiday, Burnham, an Everton fan, told LBC: ‘I’m an Evertonian, I do not ever back anything when it comes to football, I don’t do it with England either. I think they’ve got a bit of improvement to do before we can start seriously dreaming of it coming home.’ 

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said she’d ‘probably not’ support a bank holiday, telling a Politics UK event: ‘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.’ Some backbenchers are keen, though. An early day motion tabled by Labour MP Lee Pitcher, signed by 26 MPs, calls on the government to designate Monday 20 July, the day after the final, as an additional bank holiday.

When Would The Bank Holiday Actually Happen?

That Monday date now looks unlikely but Friday 24 July, five days after the final, is being reported as a possible date. This would sidestep the change of government, plus give the squad time to get home and the FA a few days to arrange an open-top bus parade through central London.

What About Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland?

Whether it would cover the whole UK is separate again. England and Wales currently have eight bank holidays a year, Scotland nine and Northern Ireland ten, and Wales has no power to grant its own, so any extra day awarded in England would automatically apply there too. Scotland has already had an extra football-related day off, with a bank holiday held after the country qualified for its first World Cup since 1998.

Will We Even Win Tonight’s Match? England v Argentina

Thomas Tuchel’s side are aiming for their first World Cup final since Sir Alf Ramsey’s side lifted the Jules Rimet trophy at Wembley in 1966. England have reached only two semi-finals since, at Italia 90 and in Russia in 2018, and have lost their last two European Championship finals. ‘We now want to squeeze the last bit out,’ says Tuchel. ‘We want to take the next step.’

The History Of This Clash In Four Instances:

1. England manager Alf Ramsey calling Argentina ‘animals’ in 1966
2. Diego Maradona’s ‘Hand of God’ and his solo wonder goal in 1986
3. David Beckham’s red card in 1998 
4. …Followed by his redemption penalty in 2002. 

Who should be watch out for in tonight’s tie? Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane have scored 12 of the team’s 13 goals at this tournament, with only Marcus Rashford’s opener against Croatia coming from elsewhere. For Argentina, it may all be down to Lionel Messi who, at 39, is potentially playing his last World Cup. He inspired the turnaround from 2-0 down to beat Egypt in the last 16 and is currently tied for top scorer in the tournament. ‘Messi is just incredible,’ said Tuchel. ‘He’s the leader and the key player in any team he plays for.’

Kick-off is 8pm tonight and will be shown on BBC1. And as for that bank holiday; start pencilling next Friday off, but don’t tell anyone you’re the one who jinxed it…