The golf world is gearing up for the final major of the season, the 154th Open Championship, this month at Royal Birkdale. At the same time, football fans are gearing up for the FIFA World Cup for a defining match between England and Norway. An English fan who loves both sports would have to make a major decision come July 19. However, officials are preparing so fans don’t have to choose between them.

The Open runs from Thursday, July 16, to Sunday, July 19, at Royal Birkdale. The final Sunday is also when the FIFA World Cup final will take place, kicking off at 8 p.m. BST at MetLife Stadium. Per the London Times, if England makes the final, the timings for the Open final could be moved up.

The Open’s final pairing usually tees off around 2.30 local p.m. on Sunday, which would leave little time for fans to watch football afterwards. The potential for a clash will increase if the Open gets to a three-hole playoff, pushing the finish time even later. It could also lead to a decline in viewership. It is expected that a record 300,000 fans will attend the final round.

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R&A will be observing the situation and then make necessary changes.

“Of course, some things are out of our control in terms of play-offs and the like, but we will attempt to avoid a clash,” R&A chief executive Mark Darbon said in April.

England will face Norway in the quarterfinals on Saturday, July 11, in Miami. The team has won four of their five matches so far and tied their group-stage clash with Ghana 0-0.

A semi-final in Atlanta would follow on Wednesday, July 15.

Per the rankings, England’s most likely opponents after the quarterfinals are France in the semifinals and Argentina in the final. English fans will naturally tune in to this broadcast should the team advance this far, because England last won a World Cup in 1966. They’ve waited a long time for the trophy to come home.

However, last year, Scheffler’s press conference after the final was still going on at 8 pm, The Mirror noted. Even though the physical crowd might be leaving by this time, the R&A will lose viewership if the coverage overlaps with the World Cup. This will happen regardless of the Three Lions making the final.

A similar situation for R&A

This wouldn’t be the first time the R&A has reshuffled its schedule for something happening off the course.

Last year at Royal Portrush, organizers moved third-round tee times up by 15-20 minutes to avoid a clash with a loyalist parade through the town. The group refused to make arrangements to their schedule, even though they were planning to start the match around the same time a sold-out crowd would be leaving The Open.

R&A chief executive Mark Darbon had addressed the change directly at the time.

“We recognize that we bring the Open Championship to a town; we are a guest in the community in which we operate,” he said at the conference later.

He called the adjustment a “slight tweak,” adding that golf’s outdoor nature already makes finishing times hard to predict.

That said, a World Cup final is a far bigger stage than a town parade, and the officials might have to get a closer look at the changes needed.