Many football fans will be cheering on all the action with a pint in front of the big screen at a pub. Photo: PA

In the final countdown to the World Cup tournament, the excitement is not limited to football fans – bar owners and sellers of televisions are equally buoyant.

Retailers are reporting a strong demand for flat-screens.

Shopkeepers who spoke to Times of Malta all said that in the last few weeks there has been a boost in sales.

“The World Cup is the perfect time for a television upgrade,” said Anthony Gauci of Forestals.

He said that most people were going in for the larger sized sets.

“We have seen a surge in the sales of the 50-inch and 60-inch screen to better enjoy the football experience,” he said.

Josef Muliette of Ultimate concurred and added that this month even the sales of projectors had gone up. “That’s mostly from restaurants and bars though, not for private homes.”

Other retailers said viewers wanted to watch the game on HD and were even asking for the 3D setting. “The 3D effect gives a match the feel of being at the stadium,” said one retailer.

However, not everyone will be watching the matches on television screens in the comfort of home. Most bars and pubs told Times of Malta that the World Cup is expected to boost their business.

“The timings of the game this time round should work in our favour,” said Carl Vassallo, owner of the Dubliner Pub in St Julian’s. As the games will be broadcast live from Brazil, most matches will be held at 6pm, 10pm and midnight.

“That means that our regulars can still come here at their own time, and the World Cup crowd will come in later.”

Some bar owners said the sale of beer spikes nonetheless, because of the number of multinational students studying English in Malta. All bar owners however are hoping that the Italian and English national teams will make it to the second round, as that means more local enthusiasm to watch the games.

“The atmosphere will be more subdued if England and Italy are kicked out immediately – in Malta the World Cup is mainly about those two teams,” said David Clifford of Scotsman pub.

“I’m praying that one of them will stay in – or even better get to the final – although I don’t have much hope for England,” he quipped.

Fascinating facts

• The last time the World Cup was held in Brazil, in 1950, England’s flight took 31 hours, stopping in Paris, Lisbon, Dakar and Recife, and when the squad landed three men in gas masks stepped on to the plane and sprayed everyone with pesticide.

• Conservative estimates say the World Cup will cost the Brazilian government $11.7 billion – $4 billion on the 12 stadiums.

• A survey in 2008 revealed 78 per cent of the population supported the World Cup in Brazil. By April this year, that dropped to 48 per cent and 55 per cent think it will do more harm than good.

• According to FIFA research after the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, 909 million television viewers tuned in to at least one minute of the 2010 final at home.

Times Talk tonight at 6.55pm on TVM.