India, July 18 -- As football fans gear up for the FIFA World Cup 2026 final between Spain and Argentina, Delhi-NCR's restaurants, bars, breweries, theatres and private venues are expecting packed houses for late-night screenings. The match kicks off at 12.30am IST on Monday (Sunday night) at New York New Jersey Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Several venues say they are fully booked or nearing capacity. Pebble Street in New Friends Colony has sold out its reservations and expects around 100 fans. Gurugram's Downtown will screen the match on a giant screen with a Rs.1,000 cover charge, redeemable against the final bill, and expects over 150 guests. Venues including Zythos, Galaziio, Narma and Chica are also hosting screenings with food and beverage offers. "In India, we think cricket draws the biggest crowd. But this FIFA World Cup final, we are also witnessing a surge in fans who want to enjoy the game collectively," says Vaibhav, Operations head at Galaziio. Fans, too, are making a night of it. "I am expecting it to be a battleground of loyalties. It will be exciting. I've taken a day off from work on Monday to watch the match," says 38-year-old Varun Sharma, who is backing Spain. Multiplex chain PVR INOX is also hosting live screenings at select cinemas. Gautam Dutta, CEO - revenue and operations, PVR INOX Limited, says the response has been encouraging. "Sports have a unique ability to unite communities through shared emotion, and the FIFA World Cup has been a perfect example of that. The enthusiastic response to our screenings, with occupancies exceeding 42%, reflects the growing demand for premium, collective viewing experiences," he says, adding that the final is expected to draw strong footfalls....