UK exhibitor Odeon Cinemas has announced plans to show select 2006 World Cup Matches in High Definition Television on its cinema screens.

The chain says it will show all England games as well as the quarter and semi-final matches, the third place play-offs, and the final.

That will mean a total of at least 11 matches to be shown at 14 Odeon cinemas across the country. The venues will include the 1679-seat Odeon Leicester Square as well as other major cinemas including Manchester Printworks, Bath, and Newcastle Silverlink.

A total of 45,000 tickets will be available nationwide. Tickets will be priced at about $9.50 (£5.50) per adult or $6.09 (£3.50) per child.

"For us, offering films is just one part of the cinema experience and our decision to broadcast the World Cup stems from our ambition to offer guests the chance to watch other events they feel passionate about," said Luke Vetere, Odeon's marketing director.

Odeon said it had invested $260,000 (£150,000) for the technology to show the matches in HDTV. Its broadcast partner will be HD company Euro1080.

The World Cup isn't new to Odeon, which also screened the 2002 World Cup using digital projection.