Pub bosses would normally be preparing for a cash bonanza at the start of a major football tournament - but not this years.

Euro 2008 kicks off this weekend, but England's - and every home nation's - failure to qualify means the coffers won't get a much-needed summer boost.

The competition begins today, but the lack of Three Lions presence means pubs and shops are set to miss out on hundreds of thousands of pounds.

Michelle Shuard, manager of the Seacourt Bridge pub in Botley, Oxford, said: "It is not going to be a good summer.

"For every England match we would expect to make around £2,000, so that is as much as £12,000 in lost profits had they reached the final."

Punters usually flock to drinking holes to cheer on the home nation, but are likely to only take a passing interest in this year's tournament.

Landlady Bridget Harrison-Steele, who runs the Bullnose Morris, in Blackbird Leys, Oxford, is also fearing the worst.

She is expecting takings to be 30 per cent below what they would have been had England qualified.

The Champions League final last month attracted more than 200 people to the Bullnose and Mrs Harrison-Steele would have expected similar sized crowds for Euro 2008 had Gerrard, Rooney, Beckham and Co got their country there.

She said: "The average customer won't bother coming to the pub to watch the games."

The glum feeling was echoed by John Madden, executive officer of the Guild of Master Victuallers, who believed it would further damage Oxford's struggling pub scene.

He said: "It's yet another nail in the coffin of an ailing industry.

"There is no doubt at all that a growing number of pubs are being threatened with closure and, combined with the smoking ban, England's absence has come at a bad time."

In an attempt to fight plummeting takings, some pubs will attempt to embrace the tournament in a bid to attract football fans from the city's multi-national population.

The Duke of Monmouth, in Abingdon Road, is expecting a busy few weeks, as France, Spain, Holland, Germany and Poland managed to qualify.

Manager Becky Bliss said: "Because of how the pub is situated we have had a lot of foreign students come in and ask if we are showing the games."

Meanwhile, retailers will also be hit by England's lack of participation in the 22-day competition.

Sports World, in the Westgate shopping centre, has not been able to sell England merchandise, such as replica shirts and flags.

Manager Andy Grant said: "It's going to have a massive impact on the store."

But Claire Prosser, of the policy executive for the Thames Valley Chamber of Commerce Group, said: "England's absence from the European Championship will have a slightly negative effect on business.

"But I believe this drop will not cause businesses to suffer too much, as many people have recovered from the disappointment and will enjoy supporting another team."

Switzerland v Czech Republic kicks off at 5pm, followed by Portugal against Turkey at 7.45pm.