Summary

  1. At the pub and elsewhere, England fans celebrate a World Cup spectaclepublished at 15:59 BST 6 July

    Adam Goldsmith
    Live reporter

    A man covered in foam in an England top in MexicoImage source, Reuters

    For those who gambled, the risk paid off.

    Early risers - or late nighters - were rewarded with one of England's greatest World Cup spectacles, as they defeated Mexico 3-2 at the fabled Azteca Stadium in a game where kick-off was delayed until 02:00 BST.

    It was a performance befitting Prime Minister Keir Starmer's decision to extend pub licensing hours until 05:00 BST - though be wary of getting sucked into watching our BBC Sport highlights over and over.

    As the birds began to tweet in the early hours, we heard from many who grasped the opportunity with both hands; an electric atmosphere pervaded at Ye Old King & Queen pub in Brighton, while one bar owner told the BBC the event was more profitable than New Year's Eve.

    Amid the celebrations it's easy to forget that today is, of course, Monday.

    "Text your bosses," was double goalscorer Jude Bellingham's rallying call. "Tell them you’re not coming in, simple as that."

    Some schools gave pupils the chance to watch the game "as-live" at a more sleep-friendly time; a few workplaces were generous enough to give workers the day off for some much-needed shut-eye, while others offered staff a later start.

    Next, Norway. England take on the nation - famous at this tournament for their celebratory viking row - on Saturday at 22:00 BST in the World Cup quarter-final.

    I don't know about you, but I won't be making the same mistake twice by heading to bed early for that one.

    We're closing our live coverage now, but for a bit more celebration you can watch here as fans react to every goal.

  2. ‘England is our home and we love it’published at 15:47 BST 6 July

    Alix Hattenstone
    Your Voice

    The back of a young girl's head is shown, with a red and white scrunchie tied around her hair bun.Image source, Amna/BBC
    Image caption,

    Red and white scrunchies Mariam made for match day

    Amna’s nine-year-old daughter Mariam set her alarm for midnight to watch the England-Mexico game. Her dad ordered in a takeaway and five minutes into the match, he was snoring.

    “My eyes started closing,” Amna tells BBC Your Voice. “But then all of a sudden Mariam started screaming! I was like, oh my god, what’s happened – are we winning, are we losing? England had scored.

    “She was jumping up and down with joy after that, she was like, 'I’m so glad I stayed awake'. It was just amazing, the whole experience, she loved every bit of it.

    “I’m not even from England, I’m from Pakistan, but we still live here and it’s still our home and our kids love it.”

    BBC Your Voice
  3. Pubs await fresh beer kegs after fans enjoy licensing changepublished at 15:34 BST 6 July

    Exterior picture of the Market Porter
    Image caption,

    Pubs like The Market Porter were bursting full of England fans for last night's game

    On London's Borough High Street, the George pub estimates it had around 1,000 fans inside at 02:00 BST when the match kicked off.

    They took full advantage of a licensing change allowing venues to stay open until 05:00; the pub was this morning awaiting the arrival of fresh beer kegs for a vital restocking of supplies.

    Around the corner The Market Porter was busy too - barman Rory started his shift at midnight, and says it was nice to see people come in.

    “Once it was on it was amazing, the atmosphere was great. Everyone was happy and in good spirits," he tells BBC London.

  4. Takings did 'very well', says London pub that stayed open latepublished at 15:22 BST 6 July

    Rozina Sini
    Your Voice

    Fans watching at the Black Lion pub in HammersmithImage source, Jola Mroczek
    Image caption,

    Fans watching at the Black Lion pub in Hammersmith

    Jola Mroczek is landlady of the Black Lion pub in Hammersmith in London.

    She is Polish, but tells BBC Your Voice that she's supporting England as Poland didn't qualify.

    "It was a great night," she says, "and in terms of takings we did very well.

    "But at that time of the night there was less drinking."

    Your Voice banner
  5. Locals visit Bellingham Station to pay tribute to Judepublished at 15:14 BST 6 July

    Freddy Tennyson
    BBC London

    Local residents at Bellingham station take a selfie in front of a sign.

    I've been to Bellingham Station in south-east London today which - for one day only - has been renamed Jude Bellingham Station, after the England star who scored two goals within two minutes in the first half.

    Local resident Lee tells me: “We've just come down here to show our appreciation for Jude Bellingham, and hopefully he’s going to get us to the final.

    “Big up Jude, getting us them goals last night.”

    A sign reading 'welcome to Jude Bellingham station' on a wall outside a train stationImage source, Thameslink
  6. 'The tequila was flowing!': How another England fan celebrated in Mexicopublished at 15:04 BST 6 July

    Lizzy Bella
    BBC Newsbeat

    Bertie Moores stands againt a fence with green hills and a tropical green bay in the background.

    Bertie Moores is another England fan who had an “amazing” night in Mexico City.

    The 29-year-old didn’t have a ticket to watch the game. In fact, he only flew out to Mexico on Friday.

    Despite this, he says, it was “incredible” to be watching the match in the city’s bars as elation erupted inside Azteca Stadium.

    “I just knew the atmosphere was going to be amazing,” Bertie tells BBC Newsbeat.

    “When the final whistle blew, I think everyone was crying, from the England fans who found it too much to all the Mexican fans who were mourning that they had gone out the World Cup.”

    And while fans in England might be struggling with getting back to work after the excitement, Bertie says those out in Mexico will most certainly be waking up with sore heads.

    “The tequila was flowing!”

  7. Mexico match 'delivered everything' for travelling fanpublished at 14:52 BST 6 July

    Paul Clegg is shown in front of a football stadiumImage source, Paul Clegg

    Also in Mexico is England fan Paul Clegg from Blackburn, who travelled to watch the game at Azteca Stadium.

    The game "delivered absolutely everything" he tells BBC Radio Lancashire, adding that Mexico have been "absolutely fantastic hosts".

    Mexican fans "have lost but they're not bothered, they're just having a party", he says, adding that the atmosphere was "just crazy".

    "I've seen nothing like it in my life."

    Clegg, who has been following England across the tournament, is now planning his next trip to Miami where England face Norway in the quarter-finals on Saturday.

    The tournament is "just getting better and better", he says.

  8. 'Phenomenal' atmosphere as fans party in Mexico Citypublished at 14:44 BST 6 July

    Sadaf Maruf
    Your Voice

    @billythebee99Image source, @billythebee99
    Image caption,

    Post-match partying in Mexico City

    Billy from London has been partying in Mexico City into the early hours. He got in touch with BBC Your Voice and says he has followed all of England’s games since the start of the World Cup in June.

    “The atmosphere has been phenomenal," he says.

    "Jude Bellingham was just wicked - he had the bit between his teeth. He proved what a great player he is. Everyone was standing in that stadium and chanting.

    "Mexico is such a football country. They are football people. They shook our hands afterwards and wished us luck for the games ahead.”

    That’s what football should be about, Billy says.

    “The Mexican party afterwards was something else. We won, they lost but they don’t care. We are here together. They love football, we love football - just love it, love it.”

    BBC Your Voice banner
  9. 'Waking up my kids in the middle of the night was one of my best ever parenting moments'published at 14:35 BST 6 July

    Gabriela Pomeroy
    Live reporter

    Three kids watching the football under a blanket on a sofa.Image source, Alexandra
    Image caption,

    Alma, 7, Ella, 7, and Ivri,10, watching the game in the middle of the night

    England fan Alexandra woke her three children to watch the England match, but they still went to school this morning.

    “Waking my kids up in the middle of the night, watching a truly thrilling game while eating ice cream. I think that’s one of my best ever parenting moments," she says.

    “My ‘cool mum’ credentials got a big boost and I think I’ve given my kids a memory they’ll have for a long time."

    Alexandra - a British mum living in Jerusalem - tells the BBC: "I have no idea how they are today...I sent them off to school." They woke up at 03:00 local time (02:00 BST) to watch the game.

    Alexandra says her kids are huge England fans and "definitely planning on watching the Norway game".

  10. BBC Verify

    Did the country stay up to watch the game?published at 14:22 BST 6 July

    By Richard Irvine-Brown

    TV ratings will tell us how many people watched last night’s match, but we wanted to see if the game left a footprint beyond the screen so we’ve been looking at activity across the UK's internet traffic and electricity grid during the match.

    After kick-off at 02:00the UK’s internet traffic was consistently more than 50% higher than the same time for the previous week. It peaked around 03:45 as the match was coming to an end, reaching a peak of 87% higher than the same time last week, according to data from Cloudflare Radar.

    Meanwhile, two overnight snapshots indicate what was happening with electricity demand.

    Live Grid Data UK shows overnight electricity demand started lower than the night before but overtook it once the game started, with the biggest increase being around the end of the game.

    From regional-level data overnight, electricity demand across south-west England, and the West and East Midlands, totalling about 17 million people, was also greater throughout the night than any early Monday morning for at least the previous five weeks.

  11. Watching England's momentous win... then clocking on for BBC Breakfastpublished at 14:12 BST 6 July

    Jon Kay
    BBC Breakfast presenter

    I was always intending to watch the second half of the match before going into our Salford studios to host BBC Breakfast - but a combination of the delayed kick-off time and my complete inability to sleep meant I was wide-awake and fully dressed by the time the game started.

    My co-presenter Sarah Campbell and I were constantly texting one another throughout the first half and then Sarah said: "We should have just gone to the pub."

    I checked online and spotted that The Salmon of Knowledge in Media City was open - so Sarah and I decided to meet up and headed there for the final 30 minutes of play.

    There was a great atmosphere - busy, lively and in a state of semi-disbelief that a victory looked close. I had a no-alcohol Guinness, Sarah had a Diet Coke.

    The final 11 minutes of added time felt more like two and a half hours - but what a result.

    As the pub emptied, and everyone else said they were heading to bed, Sarah and I headed to the studios to meet the Breakfast production team for our pre-programme briefing and then three and a half hours of live television...

    What a joyous and surreal start to the working week.

    Jon Kay and Sarah Campbell celebrate
    Image caption,

    Jon Kay and Sarah Campbell celebrate - before clocking on for the BBC Breakfast shift

  12. I’d never heard Wonderwall before the World Cup. Here’s my take on the footy anthemspublished at 14:03 BST 6 July

    Craig Hoyle
    Live editor

    Wonderwall... wonder what?

    My colleagues in the newsroom were astounded to learn that I, a relatively new arrival to the UK from New Zealand, was not familiar with the English football anthems.

    I've been giving them a listen this afternoon; here are my completely subjective first impressions:

    Wonderwall, by Oasis

    A little dreary? Confession, I dropped out after two minutes. Perhaps I'm missing some cultural nostalgia. 4/10

    Three Lions, by David Baddiel, Frank Skinner and the Lightning Seeds

    A fun, catchy beat and clearly football-related. I listened to the end. 9/10

    World in Motion, by New Order

    The lyrics felt a little repetitive, and honestly, my attention drifted. The rap lifted it... slightly. 5/10

    Vindaloo, by Fat Les

    This song has sass from beginning to end, I love it. There's an awful lot going on in the music video. 8/10

    Sweet Caroline, by Neil Diamond

    The only song I'd actually heard before. A classic banger that stands the test of time. 10/10

    A group of England football fans are showing cheering with their arms around each other, holding drinks aloft.Image source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    England fans sing along to Three Lions during a match in Germany in July 2024

  13. Why Wonderwall has become England's World Cup anthempublished at 13:46 BST 6 July

    Paul Glynn
    Culture reporter

    England players facing the fans behind the goal for a shared Oasis singalong in AtlantaImage source, Getty Images

    England's travelling supporters once again sang Wonderwall with the players at full-time following another dramatic win in Mexico City.

    It has become quite the tradition in recent weeks, following similar sing-alongs in Dallas, New Jersey and Atlanta.

    "It resonates with being English," one fan told BBC Sport.

    Not written as a football song per se, the 1995 Oasis classic captures both the "euphoria and melancholy" of being a football fan, music journalist John Robb told BBC News.

    Supporters will be hoping they can sing it all the way to the final.

    All the roads that lead them there are winding, though, starting again in Miami on Saturday.

    Read more on this story here

  14. 'I watched the match at the airport over a taxi driver's shoulder'published at 13:28 BST 6 July

    Michelle, from Evesham, made a quick move to watch part of the game at Birmingham Airport's car park.

    She was there early to pick up her husband from a work trip, with two daughters in tow, and they were "trying to get some sleep".

    But Michelle was distracted by the "buzz" from people around her who were coming off their flights, excited to watch the match.

    "There was a couple of cheers and I jumped out of the car and...ran over to a taxi driver who was watching it on his phone, so I managed to get the second goal and then also our penalty," she tells BBC Radio 2's Jeremy Vine.

    "I got so excited when Harry Kane scored that I hit the guy on the shoulder."

    "I didn't get to see the whole game because obviously the taxi driver had to go off and do his job," she adds.

    Jude Bellingham's second goalImage source, PA Media
    Image caption,

    Jude Bellingham's second goal - which Michelle watched on a taxi driver's phone, over his shoulder

  15. 'Alcohol becomes impossible to avoid at major tournaments like this'published at 13:14 BST 6 July

    Emer Moreau
    BBC News

    A man holds a pint. He wears an England shirt and an England flag.Image source, AFP via Getty Images

    Events like the World Cup can be exceptionally difficult for recovering alcoholics, according to Gareth Clement, who set up the Grumpy Dumpty Foundation to help people struggling with alcohol abuse.

    As a Welshman, Gareth wasn’t paying much attention to the match, but as a recovering alcoholic, he believes there’s an “important conversation” to be had around the role of drink in sporting events.

    “Alcohol becomes almost impossible to avoid during a major tournament like this," he tells the BBC.

    "For someone in recovery, those aren't just adverts. They can be genuine triggers."

    Clement explains how difficult it can be to fear missing out.

    "When everyone seems to be heading to the pub to celebrate together, it can leave people feeling isolated if they choose to protect their recovery by staying away," he says.

    "My advice would be to remember that one football tournament isn't worth risking everything you've worked so hard to build. The match will end. The headlines will disappear. But your recovery is something you have to wake up with the next morning.”

    If you’re struggling, you can find information on the BBC’s Action Line here.

  16. 'I went horizontal': Former GB Olympian no match for late kick-offpublished at 13:03 BST 6 July

    Katharine Merry is showing speaking with a microphone, with papers on a clipboard in her left hand.Image source, British Athletics via Getty Images

    We've heard plenty of tales of fans making it through the night to cheer England on - a feat not even managed by a former Olympian.

    "I ploughed on through yesterday, thinking I'm not going to take a tactical nap," says former English sprinter Katharine Merry - who now presents on BBC Radio West Midlands.

    But, when the kick-off was delayed from 01:00 BST to 02:00, Merry says her husband wandered off for a nap.

    "Half past one I was still awake, all still bright-eyed, and kind of bushy-tailed, and then I went horizontal and dozed off," she recalls.

    "My husband never came back; I woke up at 06:30 and missed everything."

  17. A quick guide to England-Norway matchpublished at 12:48 BST 6 July

    Erling Haaland in Norway's football kit with hands up celebrating on pitch.Image source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    Haaland celebrates after scoring one of his two goals against Brazil, as Norway advance to face England on Saturday

    The final whistle blew in the early hours of this morning and England's 3-2 win over co-hosts Mexico saw the Three Lions advance to the next round of the World Cup.

    As the country bounces back from what will have been a sleepless night for many, all eyes are on Saturday's match against Norway - who beat Brazil in their round of 16 face-off.

    Here's what you need to know about the England-Norway match:

    When? Saturday 11 July, 22:00 BST.

    Where? Miami Stadium.

    How can I follow along? Watch live on ITV1, listen on BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Sounds and keep up to date on the BBC Sport website, app, YouTube and across social media.

    Will pubs stay open late? Yes. The Home Office has already announced licence extensions for pubs during the World Cup. Taps at your local can flow until 02:00.

    If we win (again), what's next? A spot in the semi-finals is up for grabs in Saturday's match. The winner will play in Atlanta at 20:00 BST on Wednesday 15 July. The potential opponents are Argentina, Colombia, Egypt and Switzerland.

  18. 'I confiscated my daughter's phone and made breakfast at 05:00'published at 12:27 BST 6 July

    Phil, from Brentford, watched the dramatic match at 06:00 BST this morning after plotting a "well-laid plan" to watch the game with his nine-year-old son.

    He told BBC 5 Live he "made the hard decision" to go to bed after the Norway-Brazil game, woke up at 05:00, made breakfast for his kids, woke his son up and watched the full game.

    "I put my ear phones in, because I live in west London, because it's a bit noisy... [I was] worried about people chanting 'England' down the street at 5am and ruining it for me." But, it was "absolutely worth it", he said.

    Phil even confiscated his 13-year-old daughter's phone and said his wife was not allowed to look at her phone so that no one would have "contact with the outside world".

    "All the adrenaline was still there and now I'm a bit smug as well since it's a Monday morning and I'm not too tired."

  19. Warehouses, pubs, and packed-out classrooms - how you watched England's famous winpublished at 12:09 BST 6 July

  20. Did you make it in today? The best of your stories celebrating a classicpublished at 11:59 BST 6 July

    Tara Mewawalla
    Live reporter

    A group of primary school students in Castleway Primary waving England flags
    Image caption,

    It’s a Monday morning with a twist here at Castleway Primary in Leasowe, Wirral

    All morning, we've been hearing your stories about how you experienced England's dramatic victory over Mexico.

    A common theme in primary schools this morning has been for pupils to watch full replays of the match as if it were live - one student at Malmesbury Primary School describes the result as "absolutely amazing".

    Meanwhile, eight-year-old Wren wasn't meant to watch the match but his mum Jess Clark couldn't help but wake up her son to celebrate and sing Wonderwall together.

    And for the adults going to work?

    "Text your bosses and tell them you're not coming in." That was the advice from Jude Bellingham who scored two goals within two minutes in the first half.

    Workers at a distribution centre in Rochdale didn't need to follow Bellingham's advice as they watched the game while on shift. "It's not good for my heart, but football's my heart," said one worker.

    And what's that across the Atlantic? England fans cheering and celebrating in Mexico City, amid disappointed home fans, who were described as "really friendly".

    Jess Clark and her son Wren pose together on the street. They are both wearing England topsImage source, Jess Clark
    Image caption,

    Jess Clark woke up her son Wren to celebrate the result together