The Alberta government has announced all of the province’s bars and establishments can apply for an extension, allowing alcohol to be served during FIFA World Cup matches.
The World Cup is being hosted in Russia, and starts on June 14, ending July 15.
With the time difference (between 8 and 11 hours, depending on the location of the game), a number of the games will kick off in the wee hours, some as early as 4 a.m. MT.
The temporary change gives bars the option of starting liquor service at the start of each match when they begin outside of regular service hours.
“This is a blanket provision that’s going to be provided to all licensees that are going to be showing the games,” MLA Rod Loyola said. “If they decide to show the games, they can open up at 6 a.m. and provide liquor service at that time.”
In the past, the AGLC has extended hours for other major sporting events hosted overseas, like the men’s gold medal game at the Sochi Olympics in 2014.
