England fans pack out pubs in glorious sunshine to cheer on Three Lions ahead of crunch quarter-final against Norway

ENGLAND fans are flocking to sunny beer gardens ahead of the Three Lions’ World Cup quarter final crunch match against Norway tonight. Drinks are flowing during another scorcher amid Britain’s third heatwave of the summer – with temperatures forecast to reach 32C in parts of the country this weekend. Bucket hats and replica jerseys are spilling out across the streets, though the match doesn’t kick off until 10pm UK time. It comes after fans were snapped having a splashing time during a pre-match pool party in Miami’s South Beach, around 20 miles from Miami Stadium, where the game is being held. The UK Government has already stepped in to lay down an emergency law allowing boozers in England and Wales to remain open until after the final whistle, even if the start is delayed due to the weather. Thomas Tuchel‘s men will face a tough test in the form of true Nordic grit – including Premier League goal machine Erling Haaland – in the open air arena, officially called Hard Rock Stadium, which could reach a blistering 33C, not including humidity, during play. Read more in Sport Leeds-born Manchester City striker Haaland’s double saw off Brazil in the previous round, taking the 25-year-old’s goal tally for the tournament to seven. And while the Three Lions must be cautious against Norway‘s “golden generation” – which also includes Arsenal‘s Martin Ødegaard – they are clear favourites for the tie, with the winner facing either Argentina or Switzerland in the semi final. It’s been nearly a week since Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham and co overcame co-hosts Mexico at the Estadio Azteca on Monday, smashing a 26-match competitive home unbeaten streak for the team, nicknamed El Tri. England went down to 10 men early in the second half when defender Jarell Quansah was shown a straight red – and also contended with the brutal altitude at the stadium, which lies 7,350ft above sea level – but managed to hang on for an historic 3-2 victory. Many fans missed the round of 16 match due to the delayed kick off time seeing the game not start until 2am UK time. PM Sir Keir Starmer did, however, lay down an emergency law so fans could watch the match in their local boozer, with pubs given permission to stay open until 5am. Tonight, the Government has again extended licensing hours for pubs in England and Wales, meaning they can remain open until 30 minutes after the final whistle is blown, even if the start of the game is delayed because of extreme heat. Ministers had already pushed opening hours for the game until 2am, but have made the extra extension with flexible licensing laws. Policing minister Sarah Jones said: “England fans deserve the chance to watch every minute of the quarter-final together, and that is exactly what our extension guarantees. “After the weather delay we saw before the Mexico game, we want to give fans and venues complete certainty that no-one will miss a moment of the action. “I hope pubs and bars across England and Wales are packed on Saturday night, as we hopefully move one step closer to bringing football home.” It comes as England’s top Norwegian pub has told The Sun it will be rooting for the Three Lions. The declaration by York’s Valhalla makes it 1-1 after we told yesterday how Norway’s best English bar, the Winston Churchill in Oslo, is supporting the Vikings. Meanwhile, Haaland and the rest of the Norway squad staged a players’ rebellion and gathered to complain to team bosses after just one night at their luxury Miami hotel – due to it being next to a noisy building site.