{"id":6032,"date":"2026-06-01T09:56:07","date_gmt":"2026-06-01T16:56:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/infonews.ca\/news\/7662543\/last-call-states-look-to-extend-bar-and-restaurant-hours-during-the-world-cup\/"},"modified":"2026-06-01T09:56:07","modified_gmt":"2026-06-01T16:56:07","slug":"last-call-states-look-to-extend-bar-and-restaurant-hours-during-the-world-cup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/infonews.ca\/inwheels\/news\/6032\/last-call-states-look-to-extend-bar-and-restaurant-hours-during-the-world-cup\/","title":{"rendered":"Last call? States look to extend bar and restaurant hours during the World Cup"},"content":{"rendered":"

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) \u2014 World Cup fans<\/a> in a growing number of U.S. cities won’t have an issue finding a well-poured pint to go with their late-night match.<\/p>\n

State leaders across the U.S. are signing off on extending bar and restaurant hours during the world\u2019s most-watched sporting event. They want to help businesses and improve fan experiences, particularly for those who may have been priced out of tickets<\/a>. Others see the move as a last-ditch effort to boost sales as expectations for a World Cup economic boon<\/a> have dampened.<\/p>\n

So far, Kansas, Missouri, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Washington \u2014 states either hosting World Cup matches or adjacent to the activity \u2014 have all approved various measures to extend hours for alcohol sales during the tournament. Similar proposals are being considered in New York and Massachusetts.<\/p>\n

The changes mean that closing time won\u2019t come until 4 a.m. in Philadelphia during the World Cup and America 250 celebrations. In Kansas City, some bars can stay open as late as 5 a.m.<\/p>\n

Many of these changes are dependent on municipality approval, and no business would be required to extend business hours. But for the hospitality industry, already struggling under waning sales and inflation, the option to stay open later is welcomed.<\/p>\n

Mark Prinzinger, owner of Lion Sports Bar in Philadelphia, described watching soccer with fans from all over the world as a \u201cmagical experience.” Now that he has the option to keep his bar open two hours longer, he\u2019s hired extra staff, streamlined the menus and planned late-night programming.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople want to have a beer with other soccer fans and the great thing about the World Cup is that it brings people together from all over the world into one place to watch a sport that everybody loves,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Fans want an experience to remember<\/p>\n

Prinzinger and other bar, restaurant and nightlife venues in Pennsylvania will be allowed to move their closing times from 2 a.m. until 4 a.m. during the World Cup and the America 250 anniversary<\/a> celebrations, between June 11 and July 20. Gov. Josh Shapiro approved the legislation by releasing a video showing him cracking open a beer, signing off the social media post with a cheeky warning to the City of Brotherly Love’s reputation for getting rowdy: \u201cCelebrate responsibly, Philly.\u201d<\/p>\n

With more hours available to drink, some critics have raised concerns about public safety and potential strain on law enforcement even as the effort has received bipartisan support from lawmakers. <\/p>\n

In Kansas City, Missouri, Mayor Quinton Lucas initially stated that his city \u201cdoesn’t need bars operating 23 hours\u201d during the World Cup and joked, \u201cWorry not, if you want to drink a ton, bars can open quite early.\u201d<\/p>\n

Yet bar owners bristle under such opposition, saying that most businesses prioritize training staff to prevent patrons from being overserved.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust because people are hanging out at the bar watching a soccer game doesn\u2019t mean they\u2019re getting blitzed,\u201d Prinzinger said. \u201cIn fact, I would say it\u2019s completely the opposite. I think people want to watch the game. People want to be engaged.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rhode Island Rep. Teresa Tanzi agreed. <\/p>\n

\u201cNot everybody that\u2019s going to walk into a place is going to be chugging drinks and getting loaded,\u201d Tanzi, a Democrat, said earlier this month on the House floor. \u201cThere are going to be families who are going to want a cheeseburger, an American cheeseburger, and a Coca-Cola.” <\/p>\n

Rhode Island, which is closer than Boston is to World Cup matches host Gillette Stadium, is weighing whether to extend alcohol sales to 3 a.m. and closing times to 4 a.m. Currently, last call in the smallest U.S. state is 1 a.m., with some exceptions for its capital city of Providence. <\/p>\n

Even Lucas relented, eventually submitting a plan allowing Kansas City restaurants and bars to remain open until 3 a.m., and certain establishments to remain open until 5 a.m. if they submit a security plan to the police department. Currently, alcohol sales can generally be made between 6 a.m. through 1:30 a.m.<\/p>\n

The extended hours aren’t entirely a U.S. trend. Pubs in England and Wales will be able to stay open as late as 2 a.m. if the English or Scottish teams are playing in the knockout stages after the U.K. government relaxed its licensing rules.<\/p>\n

In Scotland, which has its own semiautonomous government, local authorities can allow pubs to stay open until 30 minutes after matches end.<\/p>\n

Late-night demand remains to be seen<\/p>\n

According to the World Cup schedule,<\/a> a majority of games will be held from early afternoon through early evening. But a handful start later, with four games starting at midnight and eight games starting at 10 p.m. for those watching in the Eastern time zone.<\/p>\n

Just how big of a demand there will be for late-night bites and drinks is somewhat unknown. In the U.S., consumer habits have shifted drastically ever since the COVID-19 pandemic, with more people choosing to go out earlier in the day and spending less overall, said David Henkes, senior principal at Technomic, a firm that monitors restaurant and food industry trends.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s so hard to stay open late night or overnight just because it\u2019s hard to find labor,\u201d Henkes said. \u201cI applaud the effort to give restaurants an opportunity to earn more revenue, but I\u2019m not sure that there\u2019s going to be significant enough demand for it to make sense for a lot of operators to do so.\u201d<\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

Associated Press writer Brian Melley contributed from London.<\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

AP World Cup: https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/fifa-world-cup<\/a><\/p>\n

\n \"|\"
Fans watch a Champion league soccer match between Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain at the Lion Sports Bar, Saturday, May 30, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo\/Tassanee Vejpongsa)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\n \"|\"
Fans watch a Champion league soccer match between Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain at the Lion Sports Bar, Saturday, May 30, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo\/Tassanee Vejpongsa)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\n \"|\"
Fans arrive to watch a Champion league soccer match between Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain at the Lion Sports Bar, Saturday, May 30, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo\/Tassanee Vejpongsa)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\n \"|\"
Lion Sports Bar owner Mark Prinzinger poses behind the bar as fans watch a Champion league soccer match between Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain, Saturday, May 30, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo\/Tassanee Vejpongsa)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) \u2014 World Cup fans in a growing number of U.S. cities won’t have an issue finding a well-poured pint to go with their late-night match. State leaders across the U.S. are signing off on extending bar and restaurant hours during the world\u2019s most-watched sporting event. They want to help businesses and improve […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":521,"featured_media":6033,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"guid":"2751529c-021f-48f3-9582-d621e75b93cf","source":"The Associated Press","byline":"Kimberlee Kruesi","published":"2026-06-01 09:56:07","updated":"2026-06-01 09:56:07","_infotelid":"","_prepressid":"","_multisite_post_sync":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[638,1303,1431,1297,1432],"tags":[],"region":[1280,1319,1299,1301],"class_list":["post-6032","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business","category-international","category-soccer","category-sports","category-world-cup","region-canada","region-london","region-ontario","region-world"],"blocksy_meta":[],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/infonews.ca\/inwheels\/news\/6032\/last-call-states-look-to-extend-bar-and-restaurant-hours-during-the-world-cup\/","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Last call? States look to extend bar and restaurant hours during the World Cup","url":"http:\/\/infonews.ca\/inwheels\/news\/6032\/last-call-states-look-to-extend-bar-and-restaurant-hours-during-the-world-cup\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/infonews.ca\/inwheels\/news\/6032\/last-call-states-look-to-extend-bar-and-restaurant-hours-during-the-world-cup\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/infonews.ca\/inwheels\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/inwheels-0658266925b243075062be648a0ab3a90ecc9dbad90c8eae0067a6ca71f670bc.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/infonews.ca\/inwheels\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/inwheels-0658266925b243075062be648a0ab3a90ecc9dbad90c8eae0067a6ca71f670bc.jpg"},"articleSection":"business","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"The Associated Press"}],"creator":["The Associated Press"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"iNwheels","logo":""},"keywords":[],"dateCreated":"2026-06-01T16:56:07Z","datePublished":"2026-06-01T16:56:07Z","dateModified":"2026-06-01T16:56:07Z"},"rendered":"