As excitement builds for the football final, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta announced extended operating hours for restaurants, cafés and other eligible establishments, allowing them to stay open until 4 AM for fans watching the match.
Published: July 18, 2026, 8:02 PM IST
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Delhi cafes and restaurants will remain open till 4 am on Sunday. ANI
Delhi restaurants and cafes will remain open till 4 am this weekend to help football enthusiasts catch the FIFA World Cup 2026 final, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said in a post on X. The final between Argentina and Spain is scheduled to start at 12:30 am IST on July 20.
Defending champions Argentina will take on Spain in New York as they chase a fourth FIFA World Cup title and a second consecutive crown. “Every football fan has watched Lionel Messi make history. Now, history has one more story to tell. A legend. A teenage prodigy. One trophy. One night that generations will remember. Delhi is ready for that night,” Gupta said in a post on X.
Every generation remembers its World Cup Final. Delhi will remember this one together.
With the city’s 24×7 business-friendly operating framework already in place under the leadership of Chief Minister Smt. Rekha Gupta, restaurants, cafés and other eligible establishments across…
— CMO Delhi (@CMODelhi) July 18, 2026
“With the city’s 24×7 business-friendly operating framework already in place under our government’s ease of doing business reforms, restaurants, cafes and other eligible establishments across the capital can welcome fans till 4 am this weekend, making it easier for the city to experience football’s biggest night together,” she added.
The announcement, made with the hashtag #FIFAWorldCup2026, is aimed at allowing football enthusiasts to gather and watch the tournament finale during the late-night hours.
FIFA World Cup 2026
The world cup will be played between Spain and Argentina on July 20. The final will also bring together the champions of South America and Europe at the World Cup for the first time in 60 years.
And, to make things more special, it marks a clash of generations: Spain’s 19-year-old prodigy Lamine Yamal facing his childhood hero, Argentina’s 39-year-old Lionel Messi.
The Opta supercomputer predicts Spain have a 59.46 percent chance of winning the 2026 World Cup, while Argentina have a 40.54 percent probability of retaining the title they won in 2022.
The World Cup final will be played at MetLife Stadium, home to two National Football League (NFL) teams: the New York Giants and the New York Jets. For the FIFA World Cup, the venue has temporarily been rebadged as New York-New Jersey Stadium.
