Amsterdam city council has given the green light to bars to stay open until the final whistle during World Cup matches this summer.
The World Cup is being held from June 11 to July 19 in the US, Canada and Mexico, and the time difference means many games will begin late in the evening. For example, on June 14, the Dutch will take on Japan in a match starting at 10 pm, while the Tunisia game on June 26 will kick off at 1 am.
The council has now agreed that bars can stay open longer during all the games, not just those involving Oranje, as long as they have registered their plans with officials three days in advance.
However, bars will have to close their doors to newcomers once regular closing time has been reached, and terraces will not remain open.
This year there are no plans for big-screen public screenings of the matches involving the Dutch team in Amsterdam, but they will be allowed for a maximum of 250 people, with a permit.
Council wardens will monitor bars and cafes for excess noise and other nuisance, but it will be up to owners themselves to keep their customers under control, the council said.
