Friday February 13th 2026
Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Paul Kelly
Pubs and clubs in the Scottish Borders could be allowed to remain open until after 4am for Scotland’s opening match of the World Cup in the USA.
Specific fan zones in the region for all the Scottish fixtures during the tournament are also under consideration.
Scotland kick-off the tournament on Sunday, June 14 against Haiti at 2am UK time, with the match expected to conclude at around 3.45am.
But under guidance issued to licensing boards premises selling alcohol will be allowed to remain open 30 minutes after the game ends.
Such a policy has already been adopted by Aberdeen City Licensing Board.
When members of Scottish Borders Council’s Licensing Board meet on Friday, February 20, they will consider which options to adopt.
Scotland’s following two games in the group stage, against Morocco and Brazil, kick-off at 11pm, potentially meaning a 30 minute drink-up time starting at about 12.45am.
A report to the Board, from Michael Wynne, Licensing Standards and Enforcement Officer, states: “The Licensing Board’s current policy allows licensing core hours to a maximum of midnight Sunday to Wednesday and 1am Thursday to Saturday.
“As fixtures normally take a minimum of 105 minutes it is expected that a longer period will be required due to water breaks and any extra time added.
“As such, Scotland’s fixtures on 14 and 24 June will extend beyond the Licensing Board’s policy of on sale core hours.
“The licensed trade within the Scottish Borders has been consulted with a mixture of replies varying from a request for extended hours for ALL Scottish games to the 11pm fixtures only.
“There has been some interest within the Scottish Borders of having a fan zone set up for all Scotland fixtures, including the 2am start.
“Such fan zones are normally out with licensed premises and require an occasional licence application which would be circulated to statutory consultees and referred to the Licensing Board for consideration.”
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