England sets itself up for EURO 2024 final day

By Aysu Bicer

LONDON (AA) - In anticipation of England's EURO 2024 final match against Spain, businesses across the country are making special arrangements to allow employees to enjoy the game and recover from the excitement.

The highly anticipated match, scheduled to start at 8 p.m. local time on Sunday, and potentially extending till 11 p.m. if it goes to penalties, has prompted several companies to offer early finishes and late starts for their workers.

Lidl, a sponsor of the tournament, announced it will open all its stores in England an hour later on Monday to ensure staff can partake in the post-match celebrations.

Tesco is also accommodating its employees by closing its 1,800 Express stores at 7:30 p.m. on Sunday, earlier than the usual 10 or 11 p.m.

This move is to allow staff to get home or to the pub in time for kick-off while still receiving their normal pay for those hours.

Sainsbury’s is also following suit, closing convenience stores and petrol filling stations early across England.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, speaking at the NATO summit in Washington, expressed his support for marking the occasion if England win.

However, he stopped short of confirming an extra bank holiday, saying: "We should certainly mark the occasion ... We must mark it in some way but the most important thing is getting it over the line on Sunday."

Starmer earlier backed calls for an extra bank holiday if England won the Women's Euro 2022 and the Women's World Cup final, though it was ruled out by the Conservative government due to the considerable cost, estimated at £2.9 billion ($3.8 billion), according to a 2010 House of Commons Library briefing.