While the city's nightlife venues are gearing up for a significant financial boost from the upcoming World Cup, local dining establishments are choosing to sit out the tournament, citing steep broadcast fees that make breaking even highly unlikely.
The highly anticipated 2026 World Cup opening match between Mexico and South Africa is kicking off at 3am Hong Kong time on Friday (Jun 12), with the opening ceremony starting 90 minutes earlier at 1.30am.
Although football enthusiasts are eagerly awaiting the tournament, the city’s catering sector remains deeply divided over whether to screen the matches, given that most games are scheduled to broadcast between midnight and the early hours of the morning.
Anthea Cheung So-mui, director of the Lan Kwai Fong Association, acknowledged that the early morning kickoff times pose a distinct operational challenge for bars.
However, she expressed strong confidence in the unique, communal atmosphere that bars offer football fans, anticipating a business increase of at least 20 percent during key matches.
To cope with late-night crowds, she said member bars and restaurants will offer time-based promotions.
These include happy hour beverage packages designed to attract early evening crowds, match-day dining specials to serve fans before kickoff, and late-night discounts on drinks and snacks tailored for overnight viewers.
She added that the association will also arrange brand ambassadors in Lan Kwai Fong on designated Friday and Saturday nights for games and giveaways of World Cup-themed gifts.
Fans can also look forward to a two-day "Football Party" in mid-July, which will feature freestyle football performances, interactive booth games, and street food stalls representing major football nations such as Argentina, Brazil, and France.
Hong Kong Feast and Retreat Association chairman, Edward Leung Hei, remains optimistic over the World Cup fever to drive spending via happy hour deals, special discounts, and pre-match events.
However, Leung believed not many local restaurants or cha chaan tengs would stream the matches to boost business owing to the high fee to break even.
With fees ranging from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of dollars, he said restaurants would prioritize table turnover rates rather than letting customers watch football all night.
When factoring in additional labor costs and utility expenses, recovering the initial investment becomes incredibly difficult if fan turnout is low.
Echoing these operational concerns, So Man-shing, deputy general manager of the London Chinese Restaurant in Mong Kok, expressed worry that the early morning schedule could negatively impact business, as most viewers would prefer the comfort of watching from home.
"I'm a fan myself, but I wouldn't go to a tea restaurant in the morning to watch a match. I'd rather stay home," So remarked.
Reflecting on past tournaments, So recalled that his restaurant invested in World Cup broadcast rights in 2002, a year when the match times were highly favorable to local time zones and generated booming business.
However, he confirmed that he would not purchase the broadcast rights for this tournament, pointing to the prohibitive licensing costs and the projection of near-zero financial returns.
