Only 48 Municipalities Have Agreed to Later Closing Hours for World Cup Matches
Only 48 of 342 Dutch municipalities have agreed to extend bar closing hours for the World Cup, meaning the majority are not giving venues permission to stay open for late-night matches.
With the 2026 World Cup less than three months away, Dutch bars and cafés are growing anxious about whether they will be allowed to stay open long enough for fans to watch Netherlands matches that will kick off deep into the night. So far, fewer than 50 of the country's 342 municipalities have agreed to extend their opening hours for the tournament.
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The time difference problem
The 2026 World Cup takes place across the United States, Canada and Mexico, which means a significant time gap with the Netherlands. The Netherlands is playing its three group stage games on 14 June at 22:00, 20 June at 19:00, and 26 June at 01:00 Dutch time. The third group game against Tunisia, kicking off at 1am, is the most problematic, but if Oranje advances into the knockout rounds, late-night fixtures could continue well into July.
Where the rules stand
In most Dutch municipalities, bars must close by around 2am on weekdays under the current rules, while terraces often have to close an hour earlier. In some municipalities the closing time is midnight. Sports club bars are also subject to early closing rules.
What the hospitality sector is asking for
Of the 342 municipalities in the Netherlands, only 48, or 14 percent, have so far definitively decided to extend their opening hours for the World Cup.
Koninklijke Horeca Nederland, the national hospitality industry association known as KHN, has drawn up a template letter that bar and restaurant owners can send to their local council requesting more flexible rules. KHN chair Marijke Vuik said World Cup nights with a full house are not just great events, they are financially important for venues that are still under pressure. The sector says the World Cup could provide significant relief.
How municipalities are responding
Responses vary considerably. In at least fifteen municipalities including Eindhoven, Soest and Den Bosch, political parties are already calling for relaxed rules. Some municipalities, such as Tubbergen, have already agreed to temporarily extend their opening hours. Others are sticking to the existing rules and pointing venues toward existing exemption processes.
Some councils want to assess requests from individual venues case by case, weighing up factors including public safety, enforcement capacity and potential noise disturbance for local residents. In other municipalities, the question is still being discussed and no decisions have been made.
One complication with the existing exemption system is that applications are often limited in scope, which makes it difficult for venues to cover an entire tournament.
Why the stakes are high for the hospitality sector
The World Cup comes at a time when many Dutch hospitality businesses are still recovering from years of financial pressure. A successful tournament with packed venues would provide a meaningful income boost, but only if venues can stay open long enough for fans to watch the games together. For the match against Tunisia that starts at 1am, a normal closing time of 2am would mean fans miss the final stages of the game if it is close.
