England may be out but pubs continue to benefit from the World Cup
Pubs have welcomed more than 27 million customers and served an extra 44 million pints of beer since the start of the World Cup.
This has led to an extra £165m for the trade in what has been a predominantly peaceful and enjoyable tournament, according to the British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA).
And although England is out of the tournament many licensees are still welcoming in hordes of customers.
Hundreds of South Korean football fans flocked to a Surrey pub on Tuesday (24 June) to watch their team play Germany in the World Cup semi-final.
The Fountain in New Malden, which has a lot of South Korean customers, was packed with 1,400 fans - with some travelling from as far away as Brighton to watch the game.
Licensee Patrick Mahoney said sales had doubled compared to a typical Tuesday lunchtime.
"It was such a wonderful atmosphere even though they lost," Mr Mahoney said. "There are 10,000 South Koreans in New Malden so I have been advertising all the games in Korean as well as English and have put it on the web and in the papers.
"There was absolutely no trouble, they even went round the garden picking up all the rubbish before they left," he added.
"A lot of England supporters came along as well."
Football fan Julianna Lee said she was having a great time. "It's much better watching the football here with the atmosphere," Ms Lee said.
Jae Sun, who has been studying in England for four months, said it was great that the licensee had made such an effort for the South Korean community. "I'd much rather watch it in the pub than anywhere else," he added.
England fan Joseph Daldorph said he had come along because he had heard the atmosphere was brilliant and Anna Shearer, a student, had come all the way from Brighton to watch the match with her South Korean friend. "We were driving past this pub the last time and saw all the people and heard the cheering so made a note to come here and watch the semi-final - it's a great atmosphere," she said.
BBPA spokesman Mark Hastings said: "This clearly demonstrates that pubs are not only at the heart of football but also that they are a very important part of the community when it comes to celebrations."
