Licensed businesses in Aberdeen are to be allowed extended trading hours for Scotland’s matches during this summer’s World Cup.
A blanket licensing extension for the city’s hospitality venues was approved during a meeting of Aberdeen City Council’s licensing board this morning (Tuesday 20th January).
The board agreed that all licensed hospitality venues – restaurants as well as pubs – can stay open until 3am for the duration of the tournament and, for Scotland’s matches in particular, can remain open until half an hour after the final whistle, when that goes beyond 3am.
In practice, this gives licensees the extraordinary option of screening Scotland’s opening match against Haiti on 14 June, which kicks off at 2am UK time, and its other group stage matches, first facing Morocco on 19 June then Brazil on 24 June, which both kick off at 11pm.
All eyes have been on local licensing boards since Scotland’s First Minister John Swinney proposed that the day after Scotland’s opening World Cup match against Haiti be designated a bank holiday Monday.
While some well-established sports bars already have a track record of securing early hours licensing to broadcast one-off sporting events from around the world, for the majority of venues, keeping the bar open til sunrise on a Monday will not be possible unless local boards make special provision for the occasion.
Paul Togneri of the Scottish Beer & Pub Association warmly welcomed Aberdeen’s ‘leadership’ on the issue: “This is an extremely welcome and pragmatic decision from Aberdeen’s Licensing Board.
“Scotland’s return to the World Cup is a moment of huge national pride, and fans should be able to come together in their local pubs to enjoy these historic matches—no matter the kick‑off time,” said Togneri.
“Aberdeen has shown real leadership by recognising the importance of hospitality to our communities and our economy.
“We hope that other licensing boards across Scotland now follow suit and adopt similar blanket extensions. Doing so would support responsible, well‑managed venues and ensure fans everywhere can enjoy the tournament safely and socially,” he said.
“This is a once‑in‑a‑generation moment for Scottish football. Our pubs are the beating heart of matchday culture, and we want fans in every city and town to have the same opportunity that Aberdeen has now guaranteed.”
The news comes shortly after the Scottish FA confirmed that the sale of alcohol could be trialed during Scotland’s friendly matches against Japan in March and Curaçao in May, which has also been welcomed by the SBPA.
Togneri added: “This is a really positive step. The current ban penalises football fans for the actions of a tiny minority 46 years ago and is unjustifiable in our view. We’re hopeful it will finally be ditched soon and football fans will be able to enjoy a beer responsibly while cheering on their team.”
