From £1 fish and chips to health warnings - The unexpected outcomes of the World Cup

You can't always predict the outcome. Credit: PA/Twitter/Ikea UK

Aside from Gareth Southgate becoming a style icon with his trademark waistcoat and England winning a penalty shootout and making it to the semi-finals, there have been a number of other unexpected outcomes of the World Cup.

Trendsetter Credit: PA

  • Meatball surge

As well as drinks, snacks and barbeques that are mandatory accompaniments to an England match, so too on Saturday, were meatballs.

Asda alone stocked up on an extra 500,000 Swedish meatballs ahead of England's quarter-final showdown with the Scandinavian nation - a delicacy linked forevermore with Sweden thanks to Ikea.

The meatball effect Credit: PA

  • £1 fish and chips

Meanwhile, the world's favourite flat-pack furniture store took Sweden's loss in good spirits, said "grattis" (congratulations in Swedish) and offered fish and chips for £1.

  • No one wants to do anything else

With England potentially just days away from a World Cup final, the country has put everything on hold for the foreseeable future.

At the time of writing, tickets were still available to see Justin Timberlake at London's O2 Arena (the Millennium Dome), with the pop superstar even having words with the venue for the match to be screened ahead of his set.

You can also still get tickets to see Paul Simon at BST in Hyde Park on Sunday.

  • Goals are ridiculously expensive, or lucrative depending on how you look at it

If the last World Cup is anything to go by, and England are faring much better this time around, each goal scored by the home team will net retailers an extra £165.3 million, and pubs, hotels and restaurants an extra £33.2 million.

  • Supporting England is not good for your health

Wearers of smartwatches were alerted to soaring heart rates as England took part in a tense penalty shootout against Colombia.

  • You won't be able to do your shopping

Should England make it to the Final on Sunday afternoon, some shops have announced they are to close early to allow workers to watch the game.

Aldi and Lidl will both close at 3pm so staff can get to a television for the 4pm kick off and participate in "a day of national celebration".

Aldi and Lidl will close an hour early on Sunday if England reach the World Cup final. Credit: PA

  • Wimbledon v World Cup

Wimbledon has broken with protocol and said phones and tablets will be allowed courtside on Sunday so that spectators can also follow the World Cup Final.

After the tennis championship refused to move the time of the men's singles final from 2pm - meaning if the match lasts more than two hours it will clash with the football - the All England Club maybe felt it had to make some concessions, relaxing the rule which states phones, tablets and radios must be switched off “in and around the courts in play”.

Which would you rather watch? Credit: PA

  • Calls to the emergency services soaring

Ambulances dealt with as many calls as they traditionally do on New Year’s Eve after England’s World Cup win against Sweden.

While West Midlands Police record the highest number of calls in a 24-hour period, 3,276, in their history.

In the wake of the huge number of callouts, the emergency services have urged fans to only call 999 in a true emergency.