Where to watch England’s World Cup game in France this Saturday?

World Cup fever is in full swing across France after Les Bleus became the first country to reach the semi-finals of the 2026 World Cup. 

Beating Morocco 2 - 0 on Thursday (July 9), they secured their third successive appearance at this stage of the competition.

Captained by Kylian Mbappé, France are looking to make it to the final three times in a row, following a victory in 2018 and defeat against Argentina in 2022.

England also made it to the quarter finals for the third successive time, setting up a clash against Norway on Saturday (July 11) in Miami.

The Three Lions are looking to overcome the heartache of 2022 (where they were knocked out at this stage of the tournament by… France) and end 60 years of hurt by lifting the trophy in the US.

Despite a late kick-off (23:00 French time, 22:00 in the UK), English citizens across France will be raring to go and support their team. 

Those wanting to do so from the comfort of their homes will be able to watch the match on free-to-air channel M6. 

Watching the game with others

However, those wanting to watch the match in a crowd can of course head to a bar to watch the match to drink in the atmosphere (and potentially some other beverages).

Despite its late kick-off time, several bars and ‘pubs’ are authorised to stay open until the early hours of the morning in France. 

Generally, bars in larger neighbourhoods can stay open until 02:00, with certain venues in areas with few residential spaces able to open until 04:00 or even 05:00.

These opening hours are always in place and are not special exemptions solely for the World Cup.

If these bars have TVs they will naturally be showing the game due to the global popularity of the World Cup. 

English-themed pubs in Paris showing the match include The Bombardier and The Bowler, both open until 02:00, as well as The Blossom Arms, open until 02:00 on Saturdays (the night of the match).

The Galway (an Irish pub, where English fans may be in the minority) in Paris is open until 05:00 on Saturday night/Sunday morning.

Equally in Bordeaux, English-themed pubs including HMS Victory and The Sherlock Holmes, Houses of Parliament, and Charles Dickens will all close at 02:00 and will be showing the match. 

Many bars and pubs in larger towns and cities will be showing all the remaining World Cup matches regardless of who is playing, due to the popularity of the competition, offering plenty of options to find a random place to watch.

In more rural areas, finding a place to watch may be harder.

In smaller locations and rural zones, limits are stricter, with bars typically required to close at midnight or 01:00.

Exact rules are set by local departments and communes, so it is worth checking online for a bar near you and then looking for their opening hours, either on their website if they have one or Google Maps/Apple Maps etc.

While authorities can provide temporary exemptions (dérogations) to these opening hours, this is again done at a local level and you will need to check in advance whether a bar is opening later.

For Saturday’s match such exemptions are unlikely to be in place because it is not a game involving the French national team or the final of the tournament.

Another option if you live in a large city is to find a fan-zone or viewing area with large TVs.

However, these may be limited due to the kick-off time, or require an entry fee. For example, the screens at La Beach bar in Bois de Vincennes require a €5.99 ticket for anyone entering later than 20:00. 

As these are also only available in more populated areas where venues can stay open later, the best way is probably to find a bar to watch the game.

Be wary of high temperatures

One potential issue during the extreme temperatures forecast over the weekend is that outdoor terrasses are usually required to close significantly earlier than indoor spots. 

In Paris, local authorities have granted bars the ability to keep their terrasses open until 02:00 for the remaining World Cup games including Saturday’s match, making it possible to watch them in the cooler nighttime air (provided there is a TV within view). 

In Bordeaux, generally most bars can keep terrasses open until 02:00, but no authorisation for later openings has been made for the World Cup.

As these rules are up to local authorities however, this is not the case everywhere, and it is something to consider. 

As of 10:00 this morning there are no bans on buying or drinking alcohol, but during June’s heatwave such exceptional rules were introduced in Paris and other departments.

The rules generally do not apply to indoor spaces such as bars, but may impact drinking on terrasses or outdoor venues with large screens.