Hyderabad: It’s going to be a late one for football fans in Telangana, as the state government has allowed bars, clubs and microbreweries to remain open well past midnight on the two biggest nights of the FIFA World Cup 2026, the third-place play-off and final, according to an order issued by the Prohibition and Excise Department on Friday, July 17.
The order allows bars, clubs, outlets of the Telangana State Tourism Development Corporation and microbreweries in the Core Urban Region (CURE) – meaning the Greater Hyderabad metropolis area – to serve liquor till 4.30 am on the intervening night of July 18 and 19, when the third-place play-off will be held.
For the final between Argentina and Spain, to be played on July 19, the relaxation will allow these establishments to serve liquor till 3 am on the intervening night of July 19 and 20, the order said.
The extension follows a representation from the Telangana Bar and Restaurants Owners Association on July 14 and a government memo from the Revenue Department on July 17 according permission for the relaxed timings.
Prohibition and Excise Commissioner and Managing Director of the Telangana State Beverages Corporation Ltd (TSBCL) C Hari Kiran has directed the deputy commissioners of prohibition and excise in Greater Hyderabad, Malkajgiri and Cyberabad, along with district prohibition and excise officers in Hyderabad, Secunderabad, LB Nagar, Malkajgiri, Qutubullapur and Serilingampally, to ensure compliance with the order.
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