Italian forward Luca Toni in action in a Euro 2008 match. (AFP)

After IPL, Euro 2008 has turned out to be the big draw at the hangouts of the young.

Restaurants and nightclubs are banking on the football action in Switzerland and Austria to attract those keen to combine a night out with sizzling soccer.

The multiplexes are set to cash in as well. They are in talks with broadcaster ESPN to beam the final at Vienna next Sunday live on the big screens.

“I can’t wait to get my hands on a plex ticket for the final. Though a far cry from actually being in the stadium, the ambience at such screenings, with fans cheering, is as close as we can get to the real thing,” said Sector V techie Arijit Banerjee.

A fan of Roberto Donadoni’s Italy, he has stayed up to watch most of the matches, though he has to be in office by 9am.

The matches are already the staple fare at many restaurants and nightclubs.

Venom, on Camac Street, has been airing the tournament live from the first match. “The weeknight footfall has increased by almost 40 per cent,” says Shubhabrata Dutta, the manager of the nightclub.

HHI tried to draw the crowds by adding the soccer telecast to a steak festival at Virgose. “The response has been good from those between 21 and 35. Footfall has gone up by 20 per cent,” says Subrata Debnath, the corporate chef at the hotel.

According to Bunty Sethi of Starstruck, people have been trudging in even for the 12.15am matches, though more used to turn up for the 9.30 clashes. “The footfall has gone up by 50-70 per cent for the Euro Cup. It had gone up by 300 per cent during IPL.”

At Hyatt Regency, where no special promotion has been organised for the tournament, the matches are being shown on the plasma screen in the lobby.

Sportswear brands do not want to be left behind either. Adidas recently hosted MTV VJ Rannvijay Singh at its Camac Street outlet for games of 'finger football' with customers.