Pubs consulted on showing late-night Scotland World Cup matches

Pubs in East Lothian are being asked for their views on showing Scotland’s World Cup games live by licensing chiefs.

The men’s national team has qualified to take part in its first World Cup in 28 years which kicks off across Canada, the USA and Mexico this summer.

However the location of the tournament means games will be kicking off out with normal pub licensing hours with some not starting until 2am UK time.

East Lothian Council has launched a survey for its pubs and licensed venues to find out how many are keen to cover the late night matches.

It asks pubs to register their interest and indicate which games they would like to broadcast live with the initial group games listed.

They include Scotland v Haiti, kick off 2am Sunday, June 14, Scotland v Morocco 11pm Friday, June 19 and Scotland v Brazil 11pm Wednesday, June 24.

It also asks whether the pubs would consider hiring qualified stewards and selling tickets for the live events to allow them to control numbers.

The survey is running on the council’s consultation hub here

It comes as Scotland’s First Minister John Swinney announced plans to make the day after the national team’s first game against Haiti, in Boston, a national holiday across the country.

Mr Swinney said he would be proposing Monday, June 15, as a bank holiday in Scotland – a move which requires the King’s approval to confirm it.

And he pledged to work with local authorities to extend pub hours to ensure people could mark the historic return to the tournament.

Urging licence holders to make their views heard in their survey, East Lothian Council said: “In advance of making a decision on how East Lothian Licensing Board will deal with extending licensing hours during FIFA World Cup 2026, they are interested in gauging how many premises may be interested in showing the Scotland’s group stage games.

“The board would appreciate you indicating your interest, by answering the following questions.”

The survey closes on Tuesday, January 20.