Football fans who miss those insomnia-inspiring nights spent staying up until 7am watching the games which were broadcast during the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, rejoice. Euro 2016 is here to provide another round of late night kick-offs that are destined to make you look bleary eyed and somnambulant.
Yes, sure, local kick-off times ranging from 10pm to 4am are a pain but this tournament – not quite the grandeur of the World Cup but important to footy fans from Europe, at least – promises to be a corker. Whether it’s France aiming for glory on home soil, Germany attempting to add to their World Cup success, Spain trying to win a record-breaking third straight championship or everyone else trying to stop them, this should be a hugely entertaining tournament and a great warm-up for another round of late-night sports viewing come the Rio Olympics.
With all the late hours, though, you don’t want to be stuck in a pokey dive watching the action on a single tiddly flatscreen – you need some quality digs to enjoy the drama. To that end, the Time Out team has rounded up the best bars to catch the footie. Gather your friends and kick-off a summer of sport the right way...
Longstanding beer lovers’ favourite The Globe is showing all the action until its regular closing time at 2am. With one of the largest draught beer selections in the city, if you’re looking for an ebullient crowd of football fans, this is the place to catch the earlier games. Expect England fans aplenty here.
A regular home for fans of English Premiership teams – Liverpool supporters in particular – this bar offers wall-to-wall screenings across its projectors and TVs. Settle in early among the footy memorabilia and pre-game on the cheap, courtesy of the 40 percent discount on some beverages from 5pm to 9pm.
If your partner has given you the boot for watching too much sport, you’d best head for the Doghouse in Wan Chai, which is screening the entire Euro tournament. The bar has you covered for those 4am kick-offs with vodka Red Bulls costing just $30 – and if you’re concerned about food, the popular steak sandwich ($140) ought to be perfect for late-night munchies.
Lantau residents – and drivers with a permit – can dodge the crowds of Kowloon and the Island and relax in a cosier atmosphere at China Bear. Showing 10pm kick-offs only, this bar offers a comfortable sea breeze and 18-inch pizzas ($140) alongside other large-portion dishes at reasonable prices to help see fans through the games.
Although we miss its departed Wan Chai sister, Delaney’s in TST is an equally great spot to catch the Euro tournament. The Irish-themed boozer intends to show all the matches and its kitchen is set to remain open throughout the nights, so you won’t go hungry at this place.
Football fans looking for somewhere plush to follow their team should head to this sharp American-style bar. Grand Central shows everything from basketball and snooker to tennis on a regular basis across its six TVs. For Euro 2016, they’re showing 10pm kick-offs and then all the games from the quarter-finals onwards. Score!
Nestled on the TST harbourfront at Al Fresco Lane, Namo is a lively location to watch the games – just ask anyone still wincing from the memories of the beer towers constructed here during the last World Cup. The ‘avant-Thai’ eatery serves better grub than most places showing the matches – everything from the tut tuk tofu ($88) to the XLO octopus ($228) shines.
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