There will be pandemonium, strangers will hug strangers, songs will be sung in the streets and drunken revelry will go on late into the night, but could the happiest person in the room on July 11 be your local landlord.

England are currently six games away from glory and many people will choose to watch these games in their local pub. Alcohol has become synonymous with football over the years and nothing encourages wide spread drinking like an England game.

Regardless of the England’s final outcome many people will witness the moment through blurry eyes after a day of inebriation masquerading as national pride.

The tendency for many England fans to drink through the usual disappointment seems like an anathema to national pride for some people but this ‘national pride’ could be just what is needed for the revival of a national institution.

Pubs have been hit hard by the smoking ban and the recession and recent figures show the alarming rate at which pubs are closing nationwide.

Brigid Simmonds, British Beer and Pub Association chief executive, has said:  “figures show the scale of the decline of the great British pub. Almost 40 pubs are closing every week across Britain and that’s bad news for jobs, bad news for the local economy and bad news for the social life of local communities.”

This statistic reveals the severity of the downturn in the market and continued closures could see a national tradition become obsolete.

The importance of England’s involvement in the World Cup to the UK economy cannot be underestimated. Research carried out by the Centre for Economic and Business Research for the 2006 World Cup and Euro 2004 showed that qualification for a major tournament is worth almost £1bn to the economy.

In fact, following England’s failure to reach Austria and Switzerland in 2008, the cost of failure was estimated at closer to £2bn.

This substantial contribution to the country’s economy is something that the pub industry must capitalise on.

Mark Hastings, Communications Director of the British Beer and Pub Association said: “It is a critical opportunity for pubs to get a boost in business after they have been taking a hammering because of the downturn.”

Pubs have formed a symbiotic relationship with televised football and Mr Hastings sees the amount of people who regularly watch football in their local to be a positive indication for the World Cup.

“About three million people week to week watch football in pubs and we expect that during the group stages in excess of 20 million people will watch the games at a pub.”

This increased footfall will inevitably lead to more drinks being sold and more money going into the tills.

Mr Hastings added: “We expect to sell an extra 30 million pints and the boost to revenue will be more than £130m”

Watching the England game in the local pub is something that many fans have been doing for years but this World Cup has become as much about the pub as the fans and the football.  

The recent dwindling numbers of those visiting pubs has left the industry struggling and this summer offers the chance to cash in on increased levels of people watching the football at their local pub.

The experience of watching England play with a pint in hand is taken up by many football fans and pubs are accustomed to the increased volume of customers and consumption.

Mark Hastings indicated that: “The industry has previous experience of providing for World Cups and they know it provides an enormous opportunity, not least because pubs have become one of the big places people go to watch football.”

The pub during an England game may seem like a male dominated world but Mr Hastings was adamant that the experience could be enjoyed by all England fans.

With all of England’s games being televised on terrestrial television pubs must ensure that they give potential customers a reason to watch the game in their establishment.

With supermarkets selling beer at incredibly low prices the pubs need to give fans a reason to leave their homes and cheap beer behind and watch the game in the pub.

The best reason to watch the game at your local is the atmosphere but the Beer and Pub Association also recommend marketing theme nights to suit England’s opponents and providing a BBQ for customers.

“It is important make sure people know you are showing the football, what special offers you have on and whether you are doing anything special, for example or an opponent themed night” Mark Hastings said.

However, industry experts have issued a caveat to the pub industry about hoping that the World Cup will be the answer to all their problems.

David Chubb, partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, said: "The pub trade has suffered at the hands of its own recession for several years, battered by the smoking ban and supermarket competition. The football World Cup, in combination with summer trade and the staycation, should offer pubs a boost.”

He said: “The weak pound will continue to attract overseas tourists, providing additional custom for the British pub. However, while the football may offer some respite, landlords should avoid pinning their hopes of a business revival on the four-week tournament. The pub trade cannot build a recovery just off the back of the World Cup."

Mark Hastings reiterated this belief adding: “The most important thing that can happen is in terms of the recovery and the economy, if people have more money in their pockets the pub will remain and even grow.”

The World Cup offers a respite for the pub industry and possibly to opportunity to reach some new customers but by mid-July the World Cup will be done and then it is up to the individual landlords to ensure the customers come back.

There are many variables to be considered, whether England get through the group stage, whether or not the British weather manages to ruin another summer and whether people can actually be coaxed away from their homes.

But maybe just maybe, on July 11 through tear streaked, alcohol blurred eyes you’ll see the smiling face of landlord beaming above the revelry.