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Ontario bars and restaurants will be allowed to serve alcohol much later into the night for the duration of this summer’s FIFA World Cup, the province announced Tuesday.
From June 11 to July 19, licensed bars and restaurants will be allowed to sell and serve alcohol until 4 a.m., two hours later than Ontario’s regular last call, the province said in a news release.
“Allowing restaurants and bars to stay open later means that fans can fully experience the energy, excitement and atmosphere of the tournament while supporting jobs, strengthening local businesses and driving economic growth across Ontario,” said Ontario Attorney General Doug Downey in the release.
Ontario will also allow 27 LCBO retail stores across the Greater Toronto Area and Ottawa to extend hours during the same time frame, the province said. Extended hours from Monday to Saturday will be 9 a.m. to 11 p.m., and on Sunday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
This year’s World Cup is being co-hosted by 16 cities across North America, including Toronto, where six matches will be played between June 12 and July 2.
The latest games in Toronto will start at 7 p.m. ET. Most other matches in the tournament will start before 11 p.m. ET, though some kick off at midnight.
This is the latest sporting event where the province is temporarily extending hours for alcohol sales and service.
The Ontario government allowed bars and restaurants to open earlier during the last World Cup in 2022, when Qatar was hosting and some matches started as early as 5:30 a.m. ET. Most recently, bars and restaurants were permitted to serve alcohol at 6 a.m. ET during February’s men’s hockey gold medal game at the Milano-Cortina Winter Games.