FIFA World Cup 2026 General Extension of Licensed Hours

On 1 April 2026, East Dunbartonshire Licensing Board made a determination under section 67 of the Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005 to the effect that:

All On-Sales premises within East Dunbartonshire of the class set out at the Annexe to this Determination, during the period of the World Cup 2026 tournament (11 June to 19 July), are entitled to an extension of their licensed hours beyond their usual terminal hour on the following terms:

The premises may remain open during the above period until 30 minutes after the conclusion (including extra time and penalties) of any World Cup 2026 fixture for the purposes of televising fixtures during the tournament.

Premises meeting the full requirements set out at the Annexe to this Determination need not make an extended hours application for the hours set out in this determination.

It should be noted that the hours of operation of any outdoor areas, and children and young persons access, are not included in the extension and remain as stated in the premises licence.

For the avoidance of doubt, there is no requirement upon licence holders to take advantage of these extensions should they not wish to do so.

All Premises Licensed in East Dunbartonshire:

1. In respect of which a full Premises Licence is in effect allowing for On-Sales of alcohol, which have, within the terms of their Operating Plan, televised sports as an additional activity within their core licensed hours (which for the avoidance of doubt will be extended, where necessary, by the general extension of licensed hours)
2. In respect of which written notice is given by the holder of the premises licence to the East Dunbartonshire Licensing team advising which matches the premises intend to take advantage of the General Extension for and what arrangements will be in place to prevent crime and disorder, securing public safety and preventing public nuisance. Such notice must be given at least 2 clear working days in advance of any matches during which the premises intends to stay open past 1am for the purposes of screening the match. This information will be passed on to Police Scotland and the Licensing Standards Officers
3. In respect of which the premises licence holder agrees to operate a “safe home” initiative as detailed in the Board’s Statement of Licensing Policy to ensure staff are transported home safely after the premises have closed. The notice sent to the Licensing Team must include details of what arrangements will be provided for the transportation of staff, and
4. In respect of which the premises licence holder agrees and will ensure that alcohol will not be served at the conclusion of any match and the thirty minutes will be used to disperse customers. The notice sent to the Licensing Team must include confirmation that alcohol will not be served at the conclusion of any match.