Vancouver council to vote on extended bar hours for FIFA World Cup

With the FIFA World Cup kicking off in Qatar this week, Vancouver city council is looking to extend bar and restaurant hours so locals here can catch some of those games.

There is an 11-hour time difference between Doha and Vancouver, meaning many of the games through the tournament will take place in the early morning hours in B.C.

Council is recommending a tweak to the current bylaw to allow restaurants in the Downtown Eastside to remain open between 2 a.m. and 6 a.m. for the duration of the international sporting event.

---

Related articles: 

• B.C. bars can stay open longer for World Cup

• B.C. Premier hopeful 2026 FIFA World Cup in Vancouver will boost economy

• World Cup beer policy finally agreed to by Qatari organizers

---

The changes are specific to the DTES because of a 1999 bylaw that “established operating hours for 14 types of business including Restaurant Class 1 and Restaurant Class 2,” prohibiting these businesses from being open during the aforementioned times.

“The purpose of the By-law is to mitigate neighbourhood impacts such as late night noise and nuisance. While there is some risk of neighbourhood impacts if Liquor Establishment and
Downtown Eastside Restaurant hours are amended for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, there could be financial benefits to businesses, and public benefits as fans and communities come together to watch and support this international event,” the report to council explains.

Restaurants and bars in other parts of the Vancouver will also be able to stay open later, as the city notes outside of the DTES, “restaurant hours are not regulated and restaurants can be open for 24 hours a day.”

The city is not extending liquor sales, so alcohol will not be served for the extra hours establishments can stay open.

“The 2022 FIFA World Cup is a popular spectator event and an opportunity for the City’s businesses to host soccer fans. The proposed amendment to the By-law would allow businesses to host patrons for games broadcast outside of regular business hours, and would align with the Provincial policy to extend hours for Liquor Primary establishments for the duration of the event,” the report adds.

The extended hours, should the motion be approved, would be in place from Nov. 20 to Dec. 18, with regular hours resuming on Dec. 19.

There will likely be a little more interest in this year’s World Cup, as Canada’s men’s national team qualified for the first time since 1986.

In 2026, Vancouver will host World Cup games of its own as it was selected, alongside Toronto, as a host city for the tournament.