World Cup 2023: D.C. plans to allow bars to remain open 24/7

Washington D.C. is gearing up for a round-the-clock party for the 2023 Women’s World Cup.

Bars and restaurants in the nation’s capital will be open 24 hours a day for the tournament once Mayor Muriel Bowser signs the new legislation into effect.

The D.C. Council passed the 2023 Women’s World Cup Emergency Amendment Act last week. The city approved a similar measure for the 2022 men’s World Cup.

BARS CAN REMAIN OPEN 24/7 IN WASHINGTON, DC FOR WOMEN’S WORLD CUP 🇺🇸🍻 The “Women’s World Cup Emergency Amendment Act of 2023” from DC Council Member @kenyanmcduffie allows bars to accommodate overnight kickoffs caused by time difference in Australia and New Zealand. MAGNIFICENT pic.twitter.com/ZwFxZmrcFj

— Men in Blazers (@MenInBlazers) June 20, 2023

While the time difference for the men’s tournament in Qatar meant most of the matches took place during the day on the East Coast, the women’s tournament in Australia and New Zealand will feature many matches in the middle of the night in U.S. time zones.

Kickoff times range from 9 p.m. ET through 8 a.m. ET, with the bulk of the matches taking place from 3 a.m. ET onward.

The U.S. women’s national team will play just one of its three group stage matches in the early hours of the morning. The team’s first two group stage matches kick off at 9 p.m. ET, but its final group stage match kicks off at 3 a.m. ET.

Should the USWNT advance through the knockout rounds to the semifinals, though, that match would take place at 4 a.m. ET. And the World Cup final is scheduled for 6 a.m. ET Sunday, Aug. 20.

Bars and restaurants that want to be included in the World Cup festivities in Washington will have to pay a $100 registration fee and notify local officials by July 17. The tournament starts on Thursday, July 20, and the USWNT plays its first match at 9 p.m. ET Friday, July 21.