The World Cup has taken its toll on sales at JD Wetherspoon, the pub chain that traditionally keeps TV football off its premises.

Sales at pubs open a year or more rose 4.9% in the last 10 weeks, a slowdown from the 6.2% increase recorded in Wetherspoon's previous market update in May.

In a trading statement before its financial year ends on 27 July, Wetherspoon said: "Sales have been slightly weaker during the World Cup. Although sales have slowed in recent weeks, the company remains confident of a reasonable outcome in the current financial year."

Wetherspoon pubs have shown matches during the World Cup but its bars are not fans' obvious choice for big games because they do not normally show sport on TV.

The company's shares fell 2.8% to 738.5p, their lowest in more than six months.

Wetherspoon runs more than 900 pubs selling cheap beer and food in premises with no music. It said the government's late-night levy, which lets local councils charge for the extra costs of policing late drinking, had increased costs by about £4,000 a year in places such as Newcastle and Islington in north London.

"Wetherspoon has decided to reduce opening hours from the current 1am to midnight on Fridays and Saturdays at most of our affected pubs, as and when the levy is introduced or renewed - a retrograde step for pubs," Wetherspoon said.