England’s loyal supporters, who turned out in full force to cheer on the national team in the World Cup tonight, faced unexpected frustration due to a disruption in card payment systems.
Worldpay, the company responsible for processing card transactions, revealed that some of their terminals were experiencing outages due to a ‘power grid disruption.’ Many fans took to social media, voicing their annoyance over being unable to make purchases.
One disheartened supporter, unable to buy his drink, expressed his disbelief on X, remarking, “you could not make this up.” Another fan pointed out that the disruption likely impacted pubs during England’s World Cup match, exclaiming, “not ideal!”
The setback didn’t dampen the spirits of enthusiastic fans who showed up for the late-night 9 pm kickoff. Clad in England attire, they sported hats, painted faces with St George’s cross, and waved flags in support of their team.
As the match reached halftime, the score stood at 0-0. England struggled to penetrate a steadfast defense despite coming off a stellar victory against Croatia in their first game.
In reference to the payment disruption during the match, broadcaster Adam Brooks wrote on X: ‘Unbelievable… busy England game and @Worldpay_Global goes down on card terminals… Multiple sectors reporting issues of terminals down.’
Andrew Mancey said: ‘Worldpay hit by a power grid outage ! Whoops.. this will have most likely hit pubs during Englands World Cup match.. not ideal!’
London’s Boxpark Wembley was rocking as the game kicked off on the east coast of the US…
…But fans were left with their heads in their hands as England failed to convert an early chance
However, some eager fans were unable to purchase their pints after Worldpay confirmed they were experiencing an outage
Others joined his frustrations in the comments, adding that they were unable to pay in places like Tesco or Lidl.
Dan Joseph wrote on X: ‘@Tesco is there something up with the site tonight? Webpage and app both failing to check out a new order’.
Another said: ‘Payment processing seems down across the UK due to an outage at Worldpay, they’re saying it’s a power grid issue.
‘Tried to pay for weekly grocery shop online and was unable to, lots of people having issues in stores across the UK too.’
They added that they wondered ‘if some infrastructure is being affected by the heat?’, in reference to this week’s potentially record breaking heatwave, with much of the south of England nearing 40C.
However, some users online have since confirmed that they can now pay with Worldpay. Tesco and Lidl have been contacted for comment.
Worldpay told the Daily Mail: ‘The UK experienced a power grid disruption, which is causing intermittent transaction authorization issues for some Worldpay clients.
‘Our technical teams are engaged and working to address the matter as soon as possible.’
An earlier statement shown on their website read: ‘A third-party power outage is affecting transaction authorizations on multiple Worldpay platforms. Some transactions may be declined or result in an error.
‘Power has been restored and Worldpay technical resources are continuing to work to recover all affected platforms and restore service.’
Two women proudly displayed a red, white and blue flag in Newcastle’s Times Square
England fans chanted in Manchester before England’s second group game of the World Cup
Meanwhile in London, fans packed into Wembley’s Boxpark, overlooked by the national stadium
Some spectators brought vuvuzelas to the outdoor tables in Newcastle as England kicked off against Ghana
While others took to the beer-lined tables themselves to spur on the Three Lions
There were those who donned St George’s cross facepaint in support of the national team, who last won the tournament 60 years ago
And the national colours were in plentiful supply at London’s Boxpark as crowds gathered to watch the match knowing a win could virtually seal England’s qualification from the group
Some even sported garlands to support the team, to which Tuchel made two changes from the Croatia game
For others, the jubilation continued – enthusiastic fans were seen blowing vuvuzelas in support of the England team and cheering as the Three Lions stepped onto the pitch.
Newcastle’s Times Square, Depot Mayfield in Manchester and London’s Boxpark, overlooked by Wembley stadium, were all packed with roaring football fans.
England’s Three Lions roared into the World Cup last week with a fine 4-2 win over Croatia in Dallas, and now could virtually guarantee qualification this evening if they win in Boston.
Tuchel and his assistant Anthony Barry were not happy with their side’s first-half display against Croatia, in which they let two leads slip, but England came out firing after the break to blow away their opponents.
Tuchel has since made two changes from the side that triumphed over Croatia, dropping John Stones and Nico O’Reilly in favour of Marc Guehi and Djed Spence.
At half time, England star Jude Bellingham, 22, was involved in a clash with Ghana manager Carlos Queiroz. during England’s second World Cup match
It’s unclear what caused the confrontation, but both player and coach were held back by their players, with Morgan Rogers, Bellingham’s close friend and competitor for a spot in the team, stepping in to restrain his team-mate.
Photographers snapped former Manchester United assistant manager, 73, seemingly shouting at Bellingham after the half-time whistle was blown.