Open 2026: England’s World Cup progress could change during final round

The tee time for Sunday’s final round of the Open could be brought forward to avoid a clash with the football World Cup final, if England can do it.

If England beat Argentina in Wednesday’s semi-final, they will play either France or Spain in New Jersey at 20:00 BST, with the golf finishing around 18:30.

However, if a playoff is required to determine the winner at Royal Birkdale in Southport, the two events may overlap.

BBC Sport understands Open organizers are flexible on any timetable the R&A chooses and no decision has been made.

Stakeholders and broadcasters may be consulted before any final decision is taken.

A clash is always on the R&A’s radar, although England’s run to the World Cup semi-finals has brought it into sharper focus.

In April, R&A chief executive Mark Darbon said: “We are obviously aware of other events taking place on that date.

“As we approach the championship, we will make sure we try and avoid that clash wherever possible.

“Obviously the playoffs and things like that are out of our control, but we’ll try to avoid collisions, yes.”

The Open uses a three-hole playoff with total score to determine the winner. If there is still a tie, a sudden death playoff will follow.

It will mean deciding the winner of the Claret Jug and the subsequent presentation ceremony could come close to clashing with football.

Even if the game ends on time, there will be little time to venture away from the Merseyside course for those who want to watch football.

The last time an Open Championship was decided by a playoff was in 2015, with Jack Johnson defeating Louis Oosthuizen and Marc Leishman at St. Andrews.

The R&A will hold its customary pre-tournament press conference on Wednesday.