Hyderabad, July 17 -- 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 ...