Sports bars are hoping for big crowds tonight as the Bermuda football team play their historic match against Costa Rica.

Win, lose or draw, managers said the Gombey Warriors had already captured the imagination of football fans on the island with their Concacaf Gold Cup campaign.

The game, Bermuda’s second out of three group matches, will kick off in Frisco, Texas, at 10.30pm Bermuda time. It will be shown back home on television screens in most clubs and bars.

Steve Simons, the managing director of The Spinning Wheel, said the crowd for the opening game against Haiti on Sunday was “energised”.

He said: “We get a good turnout for all the games. It is a sports complex so people know we are going to be open and we have multiple TVs.

“If Bermuda wins, that is going to be magnificent, that is a plus. If your people are representing you, they want to watch even if they lose.”

Reed Young, the owner of Docksider Pub and Restaurant, said many fans missed the Haiti game because it clashed with Father’s Day and the Bermuda Carnival weekend.

He said: “People have had some rest after the carnival weekend and it’s a good time to come out and support the country.

“We are hoping for a big crowd.

“Bermuda played well in the last game. Hopefully they can play as well and get a better result in the next game. It is pretty impressive that Bermuda is in this tournament — it’s quite a feat for them.”

Raymond Ward, the day bartender at the Queen’s Club, said: “I had a nice little crowd on Sunday, but it was also Father’s Day. I think we had maybe 15 people turn up.

“Hopefully for this one coming up, there will be a few more.”

Mr Ward added: “I hope that Bermuda wins.

“We had a fantastic chance against Haiti, but they didn’t capitalise in the first half.

“We are keeping our fingers crossed.”

Kamla Battersbee, the manager of the Robin Hood Pub and Restaurant, said she was on the edge of her seat on Sunday — partly because the channel she had selected kept blacking out.

She said: “We were able to watch the game fortunately on satellite. It was a good atmosphere on Sunday, there were a lot of locals, a lot of my regular guests — it was fantastic.

“Our locals and regular customers are looking forward to it.”