How England's World Cup clash with Sweden is set to bring the country to a standstill

England will come to a standstill on Saturday as the nation tunes in to the World Cup quarter final with other events rescheduled and shopping streets possibly abandoned.

Millions will watch England’s match against Sweden hoping to move one step closer to the final, and with this in mind, organisers have changed the timings of other sporting events, festivals, and gigs to avoid clashing with the 3pm kick-off.

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London’s Oxford Street – one of the world’s most famous shopping destinations – is also expected to be quieter than it typically would be on a Saturday afternoon, as people stay at home or gather in bars to watch the match.

Paul Barnes, director of external affairs at the New West End Company, said: “There’s no question that the World Cup itself has been great for retailing.

“There’s been a big boost for retailers. There’s a feel-good factor generally, the weather’s good, the football’s making everyone feel good – they’re buying barbecues, they’re buying football strips, they’re buying big TVs.

“So there’s been a boost because of that. On the issue of the actual day, then of course a lot of people stay in and watch the match so we probably expect there to be fewer people around in the West End shopping.”

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But he pointed out that many people will come to the area to gather at bars.

“Whilst there’s generally a lull during the match time, that picks up afterwards,” he said.

Mr Barnes said the London Pride parade will bring more people to the West End on Saturday too.

He said Oxford Street “may well be quieter” during the match as people stay in to watch it, adding that Saturday will bring a “slightly unusual shopping pattern”.

The New West End Company said footfall to the West End went up 20% in the three hours after the last two England matches, although it falls slightly during games.

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Those who venture out to an Ikea store on Saturday afternoon will still get a flavour of the match as the Swedish flat pack furniture giant has planned a World Cup-related food offer.

The “plate of two halves” offer is a combination of the store’s Swedish meatball dish and English fish and chips.

Cricket games have been affected, with changes made to allow fans of both sports to enjoy the day.

Oxfordshire Cricket Association said on Twitter: “To allow those interested in the football on Saturday to watch England vs Sweden, with the agreement of both captains and umpires, games may start early, have extended tea intervals or be reduced to a minimum of 25 overs.”

A number of village and school fetes across the country said they had made changes to schedules to accommodate the game, including a dog show in Bolnore, Sussex.

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Some events have announced that the match will be streamed, meaning that football is likely to be the focus for 90 minutes.

Feis, an Irish music festival in Liverpool, said on Facebook that all World Cup matches will be shown on screens around the festival site on Saturday “due to popular demand”.

Castor Festival in Peterborough changed timings to accommodate the match, and has included a space where the game will be streamed.

Pelsall Carnival, in Walsall, West Midlands, urged people to come out onto the streets on Saturday, tweeting: “We know the football is on but before that we have so much to show and please our many visitors.”

Fat Penguin comedy club in Birmingham rescheduled a gig “due to the inevitable homeward journey of football”.

Lives have been affected in other ways too, with one couple’s hunt for a new home halted due to the match.

Grace Kirk, 22, said she and her partner were “cheesed off” after a landlord cancelled a house viewing in Bristol on Saturday because he “decided the football match was more important”.

Meanwhile, BrightHR – HR software to help employers manage staff holidays, shifts, rotas – released stats about how football fever is affecting attendance at work.

It said data taken from 11,227 businesses and 120,005 users showed a 25.6% increase in absences and lateness logged by employers after England’s match with Colombia.