Norway's fans will be able to enjoy World Cup return with drink in hand, PM promises

Dec 9 - Norway's Prime Minister has promised to find a way for fans to enjoy a drink in the pub as they watch their team's late-night matches in the nation's first World Cup appearance in 28 years next summer.

Under Norway's current strict rules, pubs screening the matches from North America would have to stop serving alcohol long before the final whistle.

With Norway kicking off two of their Group I games at midnight and 0200 local time, Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere said a way would be found to keep the fans, and the pubs, happy.

"It is a tradition in Norway that people go to pubs to watch matches together and we believe they should be able to do that for the whole match," he told Norwegian broadcaster NRK.

"This is something we will find a solution to well before the World Cup starts.

"We will look at what needs to be done, whether it requires rule changes or other measures."

Norway will begin their campaign on June 17 in Foxborough, Massachusetts, against a playoff winner yet to be decided, with Senegal and France their other group opponents. The match against Senegal will kick off two hours after midnight, around the time the bars currently need to stop serving.

(Tommy Lund in Gdansk; editing by Clare Fallon)