Time zones are a nonfactor when the World Cup is on.
The U.S. Women’s National Team enters its final matchup of Group E play against Portugal on Tuesday, and while kickoff is at 3:00 a.m. ET, Banter Bar will be keeping the lights on and taps flowing.
Banter’s slogan “where football never sleeps” is one it takes seriously and the Brooklyn spot has a devoted customer base to keep the late nights, and early mornings, entertaining.
“We attract mostly soccer fans, so they know what they’re watching, getting very excited,” co-owner Chris Keller told The Post. “Obviously a goal, there’s an explosion of emotion.”
Banter has a reservation policy, and while the 3 a.m. game hasn’t booked out the bar, Keller said the slots are “slowly filling up.”
“Those 3 a.m. games can be the most fun. [The 2002 Men’s World Cup], those games for Japan and Korea, similar times, everybody knew which bars were open. Awesome atmosphere,” Keller said.
“That was one of my favorite World Cups, so hoping for some of the same fun for some of these late games coming up.”
Smithfield Hall in Manhattan and The Bohemian Hall and Beer Garden in Queens have been two other hot spots hosting watch parties for the USWNT on their quest for a World Cup three-peat.
Slow summer nights are a thing of the past as the World Cup has people flocking to the big screens and bubbly beverages.
“We haven’t been as busy as we usually are during the summer, but for these games, there’s literally a line coming out the door,” Stephanie Briones, an employee at Smithfield Hall, said.
“I didn’t know anything about soccer at all and now I actually keep up with the games, I keep up with the players, I talk to the tables about their favorite players.”
The Bohemian Hall and Beer Garden has become a gathering place not only for soccer, but for the local community to come together and bond over the sport, no matter what team they’re rooting for.
“Astoria is one of the most diverse neighborhoods in New York City, in Queens specifically,” creative director Lisa Angell told the The Post.
“There’s immigrants from all different countries, so it’s just a place for everyone to come together and root for their team, root for their country.”
While the U.S. and Portugal will face off at Eden Park in Auckland, New Zealand on Tuesday, New York City will be watching, cheering — and drinking.
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