At a century-old teahouse in Hong Kong, a crowd of about 30 people huddles around tables packed with dim sum on a Thursday morning as they watch South Africa score against South Korea in the World Cup.

Lin Heung Lau’s branch in Sheung Wan has become one of the city’s most unlikely venues for catching the football after it opted to capitalise on the World Cup, with its design and marketing director saying the place had reaped several benefits.

The business spent more than HK$200,000 (US$25,500) on installing an LED screen at the branch and signed a year-long broadcast contract worth HK$100,000 per venue so that both its and the sister location in Tsim Sha Tsui could screen live matches.

The decision to buy an LED screen was not originally made with the World Cup in mind.

Lin Heung Lau had planned to use the screen for corporate functions and banquets, but the international football competition arrived at the right moment, said Wong Chi-yin, the restaurant’s design and marketing director.

“We open at 6am, and many matches fall in the morning, so we thought it was a good fit for people watching football over morning tea,” he said.