There will be no Harry Kane on Henman Hill.
The Wimbledon tournament started Monday in England. But for many sports fans in attendance, and even players, the World Cup knockout stage looms a bit larger than the early round tennis action.
But Wimbledon, a bastion of sometimes stuffy rules, is drawing the line at broadcasting the World Cup on the grounds of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club.
No soccer will be shown on any of the big television screens around the ground, Sally Bolton, the club’s chief executive, told the British news media. That includes the big screen on Henman Hill, where fans watch tennis matches.
It also includes the players’ lounges, where someone is likely to have a rooting interest in every World Cup match.
Sports fans in England, like many countries, are almost singularly focused on the World Cup. Even cricket is making concessions to the event. One cricket club, Derbyshire County, will stream England’s next match before the club’s home game north of Birmingham, and have pushed back the start time for less overlap.
Ms. Bolton did say that Wimbledon would not be a stickler for a rule that mandates that cellphones be switched off near the courts. Fans and players are allowed to watch World Cup games on their phones.
Expect a lot of surreptitious phone-checking on Wednesday at 5 p.m. in London (noon Eastern) when England and Harry Kane take on the Democratic Republic of Congo in a round of 32 match in Atlanta.
