Starmer Teases Extra Bank Holiday If England Wins The World Cup

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has dropped a heavy hint that England could be granted an extra bank holiday if the men's national football team brings the World Cup home for the first time in 60 years.

With Thomas Tuchel’s squad preparing for a high-stakes quarter-final match against a dangerous Norway side in Miami this Saturday, speculation is building over how the nation would mark a potential historic victory. While the prime minister stopped short of formally locking in a date, Downing Street insiders and reports indicate the extra day off would likely fall on Friday, July 24th.

The strategic choice of a Friday would grant the Three Lions ample time to travel back from the final, which is scheduled for Sunday, July 19th, at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, while allowing the Football Association a few days to coordinate a massive open-top bus parade across central London.

When questioned by reporters on Wednesday about giving workers a celebratory day off, Starmer took a cautious approach to avoid killing the team's momentum. “On the question of a bank holiday, I think I don’t want to jinx it, but ask me again if we get to the final,” Starmer stated.

The potential announcement would serve as one of Starmer's very last policy acts. It is widely expected that he will step down as prime minister on Monday, July 20th, the day after the World Cup final.

Should England successfully book their ticket to New Jersey, Starmer is expected to fly out to watch the match in person, a move that could briefly pause the scheduled handover of power in Downing Street. Consequently, it would be up to the new PM, which is expected to be Andy Burnham, to officially welcome captain Harry Kane and the rest of the squad to Number 10 to mark the achievement.

Starmer's focus on the tournament has already extended into the diplomatic arena. The prime minister revealed he turned down numerous requests to lobby FIFA to overturn the red card given to defender Jarell Quansah during their 3-2 round-of-16 victory against Mexico in contrast to U.S. President Donald Trump's successful intervention for American striker Folarin Balogun.

However, Starmer did use diplomatic avenues to block a FIFA proposal that would have brought the Mexico match forward, successfully preventing what was feared to be an unfair advantage for the host nation.

More recently, at the NATO summit in Ankara, Starmer shared a lighthearted exchange with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre regarding Saturday's massive showdown. While the leader affirmed that the bond between the UK and Norway remains "as strong as it’s ever been," he jokingly added that "for 90 minutes on Saturday evening, we’ll have to go our different ways”.

The Hurdles Between England And The Trophy

Before anyone can start planning for a long weekend, England faces a monumental task on the pitch. While Scotland was handed a public holiday by its government just for qualifying for the tournament before suffering a disappointing group-stage exit, England has never received a bank holiday for a World Cup victory, not even during their lone triumph against Germany in 1966.

The immediate threat is a highly confident Norway team coming off an impressive 2-1 victory over five-time champions Brazil. The Scandinavian side boasts Manchester City powerhouse Erling Haaland, who currently sits as the tournament's third-highest goal scorer behind Argentina's Lionel Messi and France's Kylian Mbappé.

Harry Kane is keeping close pace with six goals of his own in the competition so far. If Tuchel's men manage to sink the Vikings, they will likely slide into a brutal semi-final match against reigning world champions Argentina, with tournament favorites France still looming large on the other side of the bracket.

The highly anticipated quarter-final matchup kicks off in Miami at 10:00 PM BST this Saturday.