Payment Outage Disrupts Fans During England World Cup Match

A significant outage affecting major payment processing company Worldpay left England fans unable to complete purchases at pubs and fan zones across the country on Tuesday evening. The disruption forced numerous businesses to switch to cash-only payments during the Three Lions' 0-0 draw with Ghana in their second World Cup game.

Worldpay cited a "power grid disruption" as the cause for the outage, which affected card terminals and left customers frustrated. Supporters shared their experiences on social media, with one user writing on X that "you could not make this up," while another noted the inconvenience during England's crucial match.

Fans had gathered in pubs and fan zones nationwide to watch the game, with many displaying England shirts, face paint, and flags. Despite the anticipation, the match ended in a disappointing draw, with England failing to break down Ghana's defense. Harry Kane missed a late opportunity to score.

The payment issues were not confined to pubs. Customers also reported difficulties with online shopping and in various retail stores, including Tesco. "Payment processing seems down across the UK due to an outage at Worldpay, they're saying it's a power grid issue," one user stated, adding that they were unable to complete their weekly grocery shop online and that many others were experiencing similar problems in stores.

Some users speculated whether infrastructure might be affected by the ongoing heatwave, with temperatures nearing 40C in parts of southern England. However, Worldpay stated that power had been restored and their technical teams were working to recover all affected platforms. A Tesco spokesperson confirmed that the payment issue had been resolved and apologized for the inconvenience.

"A third-party power outage is affecting transaction authorizations on multiple Worldpay platforms," Worldpay said in an earlier statement. "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."

Despite the payment disruptions and the goalless draw on the pitch, enthusiastic fans continued to support the England team, with scenes of cheering and chanting reported from various locations across the country, including Manchester, Newcastle, and London.