States Looking To Extend Bar, Restaurant Hours During The World Cup

The 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off in June — and HuffPost will be live-blogging every twist, turn and controversy from the buildup through the final of what’s widely shaping up to be the most political soccer tournament of all time.From the action on the pitch to the potential chaos off it, the storylines are already piling up: Iran’s possible non-participation amid Donald Trump’s war, the president’s close relationship with FIFA’s Peace Prize-awarding President Gianni Infantino, and simmering tensions between the U.S. and fellow host nations Mexico and Canada fueled by Trump’s tariffs and divisive rhetoric.Trump’s travel bans could keep some fans out, there’s been fury over soaring ticket prices, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents could be present at games as the Trump administration continues its anti-immigration crackdown.Not to mention extreme heat concerns that scorched all those involved the last time the U.S. hosted the tournament some 32 years ago, in 1994.And that’s all before a ball has been kicked.U.S. President Donald Trump received the FIFA Peace Prize from FIFA President Gianni Infantino in December.Andrew Harnik via Getty ImagesOn the field, the men’s national teams from 48 countries will compete in a record 104 matches across the three host nations in what will be the biggest World Cup in history.Mexico will take on South Africa at the iconic Mexico City Stadium in the opening game on June 11. The U.S. will play Paraguay in Los Angeles on June 12, Australia in Seattle on June 19 and Turkey back in Los Angeles on June 25, in the group games, before potentially competing in the later knockout rounds.The final will be held on July 19 at MetLife Stadium, which is being temporarily rebranded as the New York/New Jersey Stadium for the competition.Current European champions Spain are favorites to lift the trophy. Defending champions Argentina, of Inter Miami’s Lionel Messi fame, along with France, England and Brazil, are also expected to be in the mix.Check out the full games schedule on the FIFA website.Follow along with our coverage below:States Looking To Extend Bar, Restaurant Hours During The World CupPROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — World Cup fans in a growing number of U.S. cities won't have an issue finding a well-poured pint to go with their late-night match.State leaders across the U.S. are signing off on extending bar and restaurant hours during the world’s most-watched sporting event. They want to help businesses and improve fan experiences, particularly for those who may have been priced out of tickets. Others see the move as a last-ditch effort to boost sales as expectations for a World Cup economic boon have dampened.So far, Kansas, Missouri, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Washington — states either hosting World Cup matches or adjacent to the activity — have all approved various measures to extend hours for alcohol sales during the tournament. Similar proposals are being considered in New York and Massachusetts.The changes mean that closing time won’t come until 4 a.m. in Philadelphia during the World Cup and America 250 celebrations. In Kansas City, some bars can stay open as late as 5 a.m.Many of these changes are dependent on municipality approval, and no business would be required to extend business hours. But for the hospitality industry, already struggling under waning sales and inflation, the option to stay open later is welcomed.Mark Prinzinger, owner of Lion Sports Bar in Philadelphia, described watching soccer with fans from all over the world as a “magical experience." Now that he has the option to keep his bar open two hours longer, he’s hired extra staff, streamlined the menus and planned late-night programming.“People want to have a beer with other soccer fans and the great thing about the World Cup is that it brings people together from all over the world into one place to watch a sport that everybody loves,” he said.Fans want an experience to rememberPrinzinger and other bar, restaurant and nightlife venues in Pennsylvania will be allowed to move their closing times from 2 a.m. until 4 a.m. during the World Cup and the America 250 anniversary celebrations, between June 11 and July 20. Gov. Josh Shapiro approved the legislation by releasing a video showing him cracking open a beer, signing off the social media post with a cheeky warning to the City of Brotherly Love's reputation for getting rowdy: “Celebrate responsibly, Philly.”With more hours available to drink, some critics have raised concerns about public safety and potential strain on law enforcement even as the effort has received bipartisan support from lawmakers.In Kansas City, Missouri, Mayor Quinton Lucas initially stated that his city “doesn't need bars operating 23 hours” during the World Cup and joked, “Worry not, if you want to drink a ton, bars can open quite early.”Yet bar owners bristle under such opposition, saying that most businesses prioritize training staff to prevent patrons from being overserved.“Just because people are hanging out at the bar watching a soccer game doesn’t mean they’re getting blitzed,” Prinzinger said. “In fact, I would say it’s completely the opposite. I think people want to watch the game. People want to be engaged.”Rhode Island Rep. Teresa Tanzi agreed.“Not everybody that’s going to walk into a place is going to be chugging drinks and getting loaded,” Tanzi, a Democrat, said earlier this month on the House floor. “There are going to be families who are going to want a cheeseburger, an American cheeseburger, and a Coca-Cola."Rhode Island, which is closer than Boston is to World Cup matches host Gillette Stadium, is weighing whether to extend alcohol sales to 3 a.m. and closing times to 4 a.m. Currently, last call in the smallest U.S. state is 1 a.m., with some exceptions for its capital city of Providence.Even Lucas relented, eventually submitting a plan allowing Kansas City restaurants and bars to remain open until 3 a.m., and certain establishments to remain open until 5 a.m. if they submit a security plan to the police department. Currently, alcohol sales can generally be made between 6 a.m. through 1:30 a.m.The extended hours aren't entirely a U.S. trend. Pubs in England and Wales will be able to stay open as late as 2 a.m. if the English or Scottish teams are playing in the knockout stages after the U.K. government relaxed its licensing rules.In Scotland, which has its own semiautonomous government, local authorities can allow pubs to stay open until 30 minutes after matches end.Late-night demand remains to be seenAccording to the World Cup schedule, a majority of games will be held from early afternoon through early evening. But a handful start later, with four games starting at midnight and eight games starting at 10 p.m. for those watching in the Eastern time zone.Just how big of a demand there will be for late-night bites and drinks is somewhat unknown. In the U.S., consumer habits have shifted drastically ever since the COVID-19 pandemic, with more people choosing to go out earlier in the day and spending less overall, said David Henkes, senior principal at Technomic, a firm that monitors restaurant and food industry trends.“It’s so hard to stay open late night or overnight just because it’s hard to find labor,” Henkes said. “I applaud the effort to give restaurants an opportunity to earn more revenue, but I’m not sure that there’s going to be significant enough demand for it to make sense for a lot of operators to do so.”___Associated Press writer Brian Melley contributed from London.___AP World Cup: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cupLatest Live UpdatesU.S. Faces Defining World Cup On Home SoilLOS ANGELES, June 1 (Reuters) - The United States head into the World Cup facing perhaps higher stakes than any other team, with a deep run likely to accelerate the sport's growth in the country and an early exit from a favourable group threatening to stall years of progress.Put simply, it may be the most important World Cup in U.S. soccer history.As co-hosts, the Americans were spared the grind of qualifying, leaving questions over the readiness of Mauricio Pochettino's squad heading into the tournament. What is not in doubt is the pressure on the Stars and Stripes.Reaching the knockout rounds is the minimum expectation for a team that advanced to the last 16 in Qatar in 2022, four years after the humiliation of failing to qualify for the 2018 tournament in Russia.The U.S. are the highest-ranked side in Group D, which includes Turkey, Australia and Paraguay. Winning the group is a realistic target and would provide a more favourable route through the knockout rounds.Potential opponents in the last 32, should the U.S. top the group, would be a third-place team from groups B, E, F, I or J - and could be Canada - a path that would give the U.S. a chance of reaching the quarter-finals for the first time since 2002.INTERNATIONAL CREDIBILITYU.S. soccer has spent decades trying to earn lasting credibility on the international stage in a country where most of the best male athletes are drawn to American football, basketball or baseball - sports that offer greater visibility, richer professional pathways and deeper cultural roots.That has often left the men's national soccer team fighting for relevance at home as much as respect abroad.A deep run at a home World Cup, however, could reshape perceptions. Even a place in the latter stages would energise a new generation of fans, strengthen the team's standing and provide a major lift to Major League Soccer, which continues to seek a larger place in the North American sporting landscape.Christian Pulisic, the U.S. team's most recognisable player, believes the current squad is the strongest the country has produced and expects home support to provide a major lift."The energy in the stadiums is going to be great," Pulisic told Reuters. "We want to take that motivation and push to make the American people proud."The U.S. open their campaign on June 12 against Paraguay in Los Angeles.(Reporting by Rory Carroll in Los Angeles; Editing by Ken Ferris)FIFA Putting An Emphasis On Match Tempo, Keeping Matches Moving At World CupFIFA's on-field officials for the World Cup will insist on keeping matches moving by taking rule changes designed to limit time-wasting seriously, the sport's governing body said Sunday with the start of the 48-team tournament now less than two weeks away.Also among the points of emphasis for referees and officials: a commitment to issuing red cards to any player who covers his mouth while talking to an opponent in a “confrontational situation," FIFA said.“We are continuing on trying to achieve an objective, which is to eliminate from matches — as much as possible — the disruption of the tempo of the match," said Pierluigi Collina, FIFA chief refereeing officer and chair of the referees committee.Other issues that referees will be mindful of during the tournament:— If a player leaves the field of play after being angered by an official's decision, a red card can be issued.— To speed up play, referees can institute a five-second visual countdown on goal kicks and throw-ins. If the goal kick is not taken before the end of that countdown, a corner kick will be awarded to the opposing team. If the throw-in is not executed by the end of the five-second count, a throw-in for the opponents will be the reward. It's along the same lines of the so-called eight-second goalkeeper rule that has been in place for some time to release the ball after making a save.— Players getting subbed off must leave the field within 10 seconds, except for special situations such as ones involving injuries or a security issue.— The protocol for Video Assistant Referee, or VAR, is being clarified in certain areas. VAR can be used to check when red cards are issued following a clearly incorrect second yellow card, or when cards are issued in the case of mistaken identity. Incorrectly awarded corner kicks can also be checked by VAR, FIFA said.Players covering their mouth with a hand, arm or shirt will be given red cards if referees deem it not to be a friendly conversation, FIFA said. Conversations that are not confrontational but still have players shielding their mouths from public view will continue to be permitted without penalty.“Confrontational ... a completely different story,” Collina said.There has also been a clarification on VAR protocol “regarding clear offenses committed by the attacking team before the ball is in play at a corner kick or free kick” that directly impacts goals, penalty kicks or sanctions.VAR can be used in those moments and “if the referee determines that an offense occurred before the ball was in play, the appropriate disciplinary action will be taken.”But all the emphasis on speedy play won't necessarily mean quicker matches. There will be three-minute water breaks midway through each half of every match, FIFA said.___AP World Cup: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cupIran Finalizes World Cup Squad With 17 Home-Based PlayersANTALYA, Turkey (AP) — Iran finalized a 26-man World Cup squad on Monday to play in the United States including 17 home-based players whose clubs have not played since February due to the Middle East regional war.Star forward Mehdi Taremi, who plays in Greece for Olympiakos, was among nine overseas players but they did not include his strike partner at the 2022 World Cup, Sardar Azmoun.Azmoun was dropped from coach Amir Ghalenoei’s squad in March, reportedly because of a social media post that angered Iranian authorities during the ongoing war with the United States and Israel. His teammate at Dubai club Shabab Al-Ahli, Saeid Ezatolahi, was picked.Iran features five players with clubs in the United Arab Emirates, two in Belgium, Taremi in Greece and one in Russia. Belgium-based Dennis Dargahi on the official squad list is known as Dennis Eckert Ayensa at his club Standard Liege.Iran is preparing for the World Cup at a training camp in Antalya, Turkey, before a scheduled departure on Friday to its tournament base in Tijuana, Mexico.Citing complexities with visa issues to enter the U.S., Iran got FIFA approval 10 days ago to move from a planned training base in Tucson, Arizona.Iran plays two games in World Cup Group G in Inglewood, California — against New Zealand on June 15 and Belgium six days later — then goes to Seattle to face Egypt on June 26.Iran and the U.S. could meet in the round of 32 on July 3 at the Dallas Cowboys’ stadium in Arlington, Texas, if both place second in their groups.___Iran:Goalkeepers: Alireza Beiranvand (Tractor), Hossein Hosseini (Sepahan), Payam Niazmand (Persepolis)Defenders: Danial Eiri (Malavan), Ehsan Hajsafi (Sepahan), Saleh Hardani (Esteghlal), Hossein Kanaani (Persepolis), Shoja Khalilzadeh (Tractor), Milad Mohammadi (Persepolis), Ali Nemati (Foolad), Ramin Rezaeian (Foolad)Midfielders: Rouzbeh Cheshmi (Esteghlal), Saeid Ezatolahi (Shabab Al-Ahli), Mehdi Ghayedi (Al-Nasr), Saman Ghoddos (Kalba), Mohammad Ghorbani (Al-Wahda), Alireza Jahanbakhsh (Dender), Mohammad Mohebi (Rostov), Amir Mohammad Razzaghinia (Esteghlal), Mehdi Torabi (Tractor), Aria Yousefi (Sepahan)Forwards: Ali Alipour (Persepolis), Dennis Dargahi (Standard Liege), Amirhossein Hosseinzadeh (Tractor), Mehdi Taremi (Olympiakos), Shahriar Moghanlou (Kalba)___AP World Cup: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cupThe U.S. Just Got A Huge Lift Ahead Of The World CupThe first of two friendlies for the U.S. men's national team before opening the 2026 FIFA World Cup on June 12 vs. Paraguay wasn't meant to be a definitive statement on the Americans' chances to advance to the knockout round.But the 3-2 win against Senegal in Charlotte, N.C., on Sunday provided a huge relief, with a glimpse of what can be.Many believe that as star forward Christian Pulisic goes, so goes the U.S., and his prolonged scoring slump rightly drew attention. Pulisic answered with a goal and an assist to help the U.S. to a 2-0 lead in the first 20 minutes.He assisted on a goal by Sergino Dest in the seventh minute before taking a ball in the middle of the box from Ricardo Pepi for his first goal since Dec. 28 for AC Milan and his first U.S. score since November 2024.After Sadio Mane's brace tied it, Folarin Balogun made it 3-2 in the 63rd minute.All was going well for the U.S. until Mane, Senegal's all-time leading scorer, had goals in the 44th and 52nd minutes.U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino made 10 changes at halftime, including goalkeeper Chris Brady coming on for Matt Turner and making his international debut, and Brady was involved in a gaffe that led to the tying goal. Miles Robinson made an egregious turnover with the ball popping up at the top of the box.Brady was too late to the ball. It got by him and Mane was at the goal line for the tap-in. The score came three minutes after Balogun thought he had made it 3-1 but was offside.Less than 10 minutes later, Balogun was called for a foul at the 6-yard box which nullified a Weston McKennie goal, but Balogun would not be denied on the go-ahead marker when he converted a cross by Tim Weah.It was not the first clinical U.S. build-up. The Americans' first goal came off the 20th pass when Pulisic, after a setup by Pepi on the left flank, spotted Dest flying through the box from his right back spot.Now, it's on to Chicago where the U.S. will play Germany on Saturday.This U.S. World Cup Player Had The Loveliest Excuse For Missing PracticeAmerican midfielder Brenden Aaronson had a good excuse to miss the U.S. World Cup team's training session Friday — he was getting married.The Leeds midfielder was marrying longtime girlfriend Milana D’Ambra, a daughter of Saint Joseph’s men’s soccer coach Don D’Ambra.Aaronson, also a member of the 2022 U.S. World Cup squad, left camp after Thursday’s session and was due back in time for training Saturday.Unable to attend the wedding himself, fellow midfielder Gio Reyna was being represented by wife Chloe.“We don’t know if it’s a no-phones wedding. We’re trying to get clarity on that," said Cristian Roldan, another U.S. midfielder. “Gio's wife will be FaceTiming in and we’ll all be able to watch kind of like a live stream if it is a phone wedding.”Aaronson, 25, is part of a well-known U.S. soccer family from Medford, New Jersey. His brother Paxten is with Major League Soccer's Colorado Rapids and sister Jaden played for Villanova as a freshman last fall. Their father, Rusty, is sporting director of Real Futbol Academy in Medford.American goalkeeper Chris Brady said Aaronson was likely playing golf Friday afternoon ahead of the ceremony.“Good luck. Don't (mess) it up,” Brady said teammates told Aaronson before he left camp. “Say I do.”Timing for the wedding was tricky.Players at the World Cup are supposed to get 21 days off before reporting to Premier League clubs ahead of season openers from Aug. 21-23. The U.S. finale could be as early as June 25 if the Americans are eliminated in the group stage or as late as July 19 in the unlikely event they reach the final for the first time.The U.S. team allowed star Christian Pulisic to skip training to attend his Hershey High School prom on May 27, 2016, at the Hershey Hotel in Pennsylvania, then return for the following day’s Copa America match against Bolivia in Kansas City, Kansas.This Country Is Letting Employees Start Work Later For The World CupJordan said on Sunday it will allow a late start to work for public sector employees on World Cup matchdays to let fans enjoy the national team's debut appearance at the tournament.A decree from Prime Minister Jafar Hassan said official working hours would begin at 10 a.m. instead of 8:30 a.m. for its Group J games against Austria, Algeria and Argentina which are being played in the U.S. on June 17, 23 and 28."The decision aims to enable citizens to follow and rally behind our national football team during its historic participation in this tournament," said a government statement.Jordan, popularly known as Al-Nashama (The Chivalrous Ones), qualified for the World Cup after finishing second behind South Korea in their Asian qualifying group, an unprecedented achievement that sparked nationwide celebration.U.S. Names Captain Of World Cup SquadTim Ream will captain the U.S. men's national team at the upcoming World Cup.Manager Mauricio Pochettino awarded the armband to the 38-year-old Charlotte FC defender on Saturday."I am so grateful he is with us -- he is a great captain not only (on the) field but more importantly off the field. He has the experience and capacity to be the leader we want," Pochettino said.Ream has earned 80 caps with the USMNT since 2010 and started all four matches for the 2022 World Cup squad captained by Tyler Adams in Qatar."This is more than a dream come true," said Ream, who is set to become the oldest American to play in a World Cup. "It's the highest honor for me."The U.S. squad is currently ranked 16th in the world and is in Group D for the World Cup in North America, opening play June 12 against Paraguay in Inglewood, Calif., before matches against Australia (June 19 in Seattle) and Turkey (June 25 in Inglewood, Calif.).The Americans' final tune-up friendlies are against Senegal (Sunday in Charlotte) and Germany (June 6 in Chicago).Professionally, Ream is in his third season with Charlotte and fourth in the MLS. He has two goals and three assists in 105 regular-season matches (102 starts) with the New York Red Bulls (2011) and Charlotte (2024-26). He also played in England for Bolton Wanderers (2012-15) and Fulham (2015-24).Also, Pochettino shed light on the status of defender Chris Richards, who has been attempting to come back from an ankle injury.Pochettino said Richards won't travel to Charlotte to compete in the Senegal match. Rather, he will remain at the National Training Center near Atlanta to continue his rehabilitation."I think he needs to keep doing his rehab and I think it's much better to stay here and plan to train and re-evaluate next week (to see) how he is," Pochettino said.Richards, 26, sustained his injury while playing for Crystal Palace on May 17.Twenty-six man rosters must be submitted to FIFA by June 1, although the U.S. can replace injured players until June 11.Visa Drama Rocks Start Of South Africa's World CupSouth Africa will depart for the World Cup on Monday, a day later than planned, after all the players received their visas to travel through the United States, sports minister Gayton McKenzie confirmed on Sunday.The team had been due to leave on a charter flight for their training base in the Mexican city of Pachuca on Sunday but that was postponed while the South African Football Association (SAFA) tried to sort out the paperwork."All Bafana Bafana players received their visas to travel to the USA. Outstanding is assistant coach, team doctor, head of security and one analyst. The charter will leave tomorrow (Monday)," McKenzie said on X.He had earlier issued a furious rebuke to SAFA over the paperwork issues, calling them "embarrassing and grossly unfair towards the players and coaching staff", adding "we are being made to look like fools".The football association confirmed in a statement that the team had been unable to fly in the morning as planned due to "challenges regarding visas" for some players and officials.EMERGENCY MEETINGSAFA has not yet confirmed the team's departure with an emergency meeting planned later on Sunday to discuss the issue.South Africa kick off the World Cup in Mexico City on June 11, and are appearing at the global finals for the first time since they were hosts themselves in 2010.Coach Hugo Broos had previously spoken of wanting to be in Mexico by June 1 at the latest to allow his players to recover from jetlag and acclimatise to the altitude, though they will now arrive a day later.Pachuca is around 680 metres (2,200 feet) further above sea level than Johannesburg at 2,432m. South Africa are due to play Jamaica in Mexico on Friday in a final warm-up fixture.An administrative bungle in qualifying almost cost them their place at the finals when their 2-0 victory over Lesotho was overturned after they fielded an ineligible player in Teboho Mokoena, who was suspended for the clash.Despite this, they still finished a point ahead of Nigeria and Benin in their qualification pool.South Africa also have Group A games against Czech Republic (June 18) in the U.S. city of Atlanta and South Korea (June 24) in Monterrey back in Mexico.Canada Star Out Of World Cup With Excruciating InjuryCanadian midfielder Marcelo Flores will miss the World Cup after suffering an ACL tear over the weekend.Flores plays for Mexican titans UANL Tigres and was on the pitch for the club's CONCACAF Champions Cup final Saturday against Toluca when he went down with a noncontact right leg injury. He appeared to catch his foot in the grass while dribbling the ball. Both Flores and Canada manager Jesse March confirmed the player's diagnosis on Sunday."Sorry, I haven't gotten back to anyone yet, really rough times. My ACL is gone," Flores posted on social media. "I wanted to say thank you to everyone and all the messages. I haven't been on my phone or checked messages, but I promise to get around to everyone and I really appreciate the concerns. I'll be back stronger."Flores' injury occurred just one day after Marsch named him among the Canadians' 26-man roster for the World Cup, which the nation will co-host with Mexico and the United States. It's not yet known who will replace him on the roster.Flores, 22, was gearing up for his first World Cup appearance. He was not part of the Canadian squad that competed in 2022 in the country's first appearance since 1986.He originally committed to the Mexican international team before filing his one-time switch to represent Canada.Flores had four goals for Tigres in the 2025-26 campaign.Expert Names The Most Blatant Way Trump Is Trying To Exploit The World CupPresident Donald Trump receiving the FIFA Peace Prize from his buddy, FIFA President Gianni Infantino, is the most blatant example of him trying to exploit this year's World Cup for his political advantage, an expert has revealed to HuffPost.“As ludicrous as the prize might sound to a lot of people, to him, he looks important,” said Jules Boykoff, a professor at Pacific University and an expert in international sports politics.Months before he launched the U.S. into his unpopular Iran war, Infantino awarded Trump the prize, citing the commander in chief’s “unwavering commitment to advancing peace and unity” as the rationale behind the award.Boykoff said Trump is also trying to achieve a “halo effect” from other “extraordinarily popular” events like the upcoming 2028 Los Angeles Olympics and next month’s Freedom 250 UFC fight card at the White House.“The worse that Donald Trump’s approval ratings get,” Boykoff said, the more incentive he has to “cling to sports as a sort of political life raft.” Read more:See All Updates