Football
ESPN staff 10y

Report predicts early England exit

A British government report examining the arguments for allowing pubs to remain open later during the World Cup has suggested that England are likely to exit the tournament early.

#INSERT type:image caption:The report sees little joy for Roy Hodgson and England. END#

With some matches kicking off at 11 p.m. and 1 a.m. BST, officials had suggested that pubs could be allowed to stay open for longer to allow people to watch the action.

But the Home Office report -- based on the odds offered by an online betting exchange -- suggested Roy Hodgson's side had just over a 50 percent chance of emerging from a group that pits them against Italy, Uruguay and Costa Rica.

"While England are certain to be playing in the matches in the first period, there is a high probability that they will not be playing in the later matches," the document said.

"England have a 54 percent probability of progressing past the group stage and an 11 percent probability of progressing past the quarterfinals."

A Home Office spokeswoman said the government was "100 percent behind the England football team, and we wish the players every success in the World Cup."

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