The final countdown - World Cup fever intensifies...

As World Cup fever intensifies over the coming weeks, publicans should be on the spot to cash in. Phil Mellows examines what's in store

Mark it on your calendar now - if you haven't already.

Friday June 7 is set to be one of the biggest pay-days of the year for publicans.

It is, of course, the date England meet Argentina in one of those matches that, for England fans at least, crystallize the timeless battle between good and evil.

In fact, if anything beats it, it could be June 15. On that day, if England go through to the second round as runners-up it is quite likely they will meet the World Champions, France.

These are the mouthwatering prospects for licensees as much as the fans, the highlights of a hot June that promises a solid month of football and a huge profit opportunity for many thousands of pubs.

Thanks to the venue of the 2002 World Cup, with the matches played in Japan and South Korea, kick-off times for the tournament - as early as 6.30am for one of the games in England's group - will not make it easy for pubs to make the most of it. Some extensions have been granted to allow alcohol to be served during the morning games, but the attitude of magistrates has, predictably, been erratic.

But that shouldn't stop you. Indeed, Punch Pub Company's survey among 3,500 of its licensees earlier this year, showed that an astonishing 84 per cent expect to stage some sort of promotion around the World Cup - compared to only 63 per cent that will be celebrating the Queen's Golden Jubilee.

Geoff Brown, Punch's head of marketing, believes the licensing issue is something of a distraction.

"We are doing all we can to get extensions but the fact is that before 10.30 in the morning people aren't going to want to drink a lot of beer," he said. "Whether they get an extension or not, licensees are going to have to work hard to get people into their pub for the games. They need to think about what they are going to do outside the times the matches are being played, in the evenings."

Punch is encouraging its licensees to plan ahead and start raising awareness among customers of what the pub can offer well in advance of the tournament. The company has a raft of promotions available but, as Geoff points out, "what they do is up to them".

"Over the years publicans have asked for stuff that they can feel is unique to them, and that's right, they know their customers best," he said.

Geoff, however, still thinks that June 7 will be "huge" across the estate. It is a lunchtime kick-off - 12.30pm - and for many areas it falls in school half-term. Because it is a Friday, firms might well let people take an extended lunch hour and even turn a blind eye to afternoons off - especially if England win.

Employers might well struggle to maintain work disciplines through June. One sign of the growing mood is sports gear manufacturer Umbro's World Cup website, which is called, in unequivocal terms, www.umbro.com/bunkoff.

It includes a top 10 of bunking off excuses and a downloadable sick note as well as information on the tournament.

Coors' consumer website, www.pubs247.com, has spied an affinity with the pub trade here and is linking up with bunkoff for a poll among fans for the best pub to watch football in.

Outside working hours, England's first game, against Sweden, has possibilities. It kicks off at 10.30am on a Sunday morning and there is an obvious opportunity, licence or not, to lure punters in for breakfast and hold them for a long post-match analysis session during normal opening hours.

The final group game, against Nigeria, will be difficult - a 7.30am start on a Wednesday. But it will probably decide England's fate and if a pub has built up the atmosphere in the first two matches, who knows?

Then comes the possibility of the France clash. This will not only be a 12.30pm kick-off, it is on a Saturday.

The possibilities are too wonderful to hope for at this stage.

If, by some miracle, England win their group then it's a Sunday morning kick-off at 7.30 - probably against dark horses Denmark.

For Rob Millar, who runs the fans' sportspub.co.uk website, thinks serious sports pubs should be looking beyond the England opportunity, however. He points out that, according to the 1991 census, 25 per cent of London's population were born outside the UK and might well follow other teams.

"This gives a figure today of around 2.4 million people," he said. "One sixth of this population are Irish, 400,000 are European and 250,000 are African."

The possibilities are clear, especially when it comes to the Irish. For some pubs, Ireland's World Cup matches will be at least as big a draw as England's and there's no doubt most England supporters will adopt their near neighbours as their second team. Many Scots will also be looking to Ireland rather than their arch-enemies south of the border.

So, even if you're not an Irish pub, it could be worth including Ireland's fixtures in your match schedule. The timings are not great, but they could be worse.

There are two mid-week lunchtime games in the group round, the big one against Germany on the first Wednesday and what could be the decider against Saudi Arabia the following Tuesday. The opener with Cameroon is early on the first Saturday morning.

Magners Cider, recently launched in Britain after establishing itself across the water, has already seen an opportunity to raise its profile and recently targeted more than 400 Irish bars in a World Cup-themed promotion.

Another opportunity is around the highlights. Because live coverage has been granted to the terrestrial channels, satellite TV is making a special effort to attract viewers in the evenings.

British Eurosport's World Cup coverage, which can be seen via Sky, consists of two main programmes and two support programmes.

The channel will follow several teams every day during the tournament, forming the basis for a "behind the scenes" view of the event.

Every day a World Cup Forum will be broadcast in which football specialists, coaches and sports stars analyse results, discuss tactics, assess the big issues and provide detailed statistics on all the games.

There will also be a programme taking a lighter look at the World Cup, featuring best moments, bloopers and messages from fans.

Sky is also helping licensees build trade around the tournament with its on-screen World Football Pub Quiz. As well as extending customers' stay before and after each game, it aims to boost interest in some of the matches not featuring England.

The quiz is free and exclusive to Sky digital pubs and clubs and will wrap around the games, including all the England and Ireland matches and the Final.

All the questions are themed around football and there will also be a national interactive element.

Sky even believes the quiz could constitute a "special occasion" under the licensing laws and help licensees win extensions.

More on the World Cup:​

Sports Pubs​ - SportsPubs.co.uk aims to give fans the ultimate guide to the best places to watch the matches live. Read on to find out more...

Promotions​ - Brands are making the most of the World Cup with a wide range of promotions. Read on to find out more...

Big Screens​- Pubs should be aware of their screening options for the World Cup matches. Read on to find out more...

Soft Drinks​- Pepsi and Coca-Cola are going head to head to win sales during the World Cup. Read on to find out more...

Fixtures​- Kick-off time and channel for the 63 World Cup matches. Read on to find out more...

The Teams​- We examine the chances and players to watch of the 32 finalists.