Qatar — the controversial host nation of the 2022 World Cup — wants to make sure Washington Capitals fans get home on time after Game 4 of the team's NHL Eastern Conference finals series against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Jack Evans, a D.C. Council member and chairman of the Metro board, told The Washington Post on Tuesday that the country has agreed to pay the $100,000 fee to keep Metro open until 12:30 a.m. ET Friday, one hour after its normal closing time.
The relationship between D.C. sports fans and the Metro has been contentious over the years. With an 11:30 p.m. closing time on weeknights, train-dependent Nationals, Wizards and Capitals fans are sometimes forced to choose between getting home or watching the end of a game.
MORE: It's time to give Ovechkin his due
The worst example of this issue occurred during the Nationals' Game 5 matchup against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2016 National League Division Series.
The final out of the game came four hours and 32 minutes after the opening pitch at 8:08 p.m., well after the last trains of the day had left the nearest Metro station.
Game 4 of the Capitals vs. Lightning series is set to start at 8 p.m., meaning the extra hour of service will prevent potential travel issues if the game were to go into overtime.