The 2026 FIFA World Cup is about to begin, and for fans in England and Scotland, the biggest challenge may be getting to work on time the next morning. Matches are being played across the US, Canada and Mexico, with England’s group games kicking off at 2100 and 2200 BST, while Scotland’s start at 2300 and 0200.
Some football fans have already booked annual leave around potential knockout fixtures, while others are hoping to negotiate flexible working – later starts or working from home after late-night matches. Scotland fan Cameron Rae has booked the Monday after the Haiti game off so he can attend a Tartan Army fan zone at his local town hall, complete with a bar and DJ running until 4am. “I booked the Monday off a while ago. I work in a garage and we're open as normal, so I probably wouldn't get away with flexible working,” he said.
“England and Scotland fans face late World Cup kick-offs; some book leave, others hope for flexibility as unions warn of 'sickies'.”
Fellow Scotland fan Krys Kujawa, a business analyst, thinks he can survive the late nights without days off – just about. “Haiti is early Sunday morning so there's still all of Sunday to recover. Morocco is late Friday night so you can just stay up and sleep in on Saturday. Brazil is the difficult one – that's coffee-your-way-through-work territory,” he said.
Scotland fans will also benefit from a one-off national Bank Holiday on 15 June to celebrate the national team playing in its first World Cup since 1998. All NHS Scotland staff and Scottish government employees are entitled to the day off, while local councils can choose to opt in or out. Private businesses are not legally obligated to close or grant the extra holiday. Kujawa says he would have “preferred the Bank Holiday after the Brazil match” as it is a “bit of a buzzkill” knowing you have to go to work the next morning.
Unions and employment experts have warned businesses to prepare for a spike in so-called “World Cup sickies”. BrightHR, which monitors absences across more than one million UK employees, predicts at least 1.5 million workers will call in sick during the tournament, resulting in more than 2.3 million additional sickness absences. Research by workforce management company UKG suggests the World Cup could cost UK employers around £681m in lost productivity.
But not all companies are bracing for trouble. Sam Hufton, founder of Birmingham-based digital agency Pull the Pin, has expanded the firm’s flexible working policy. “As a keen football fan, I've reminded everyone that if they want to watch a game and start a bit later, that's fine, all we ask is that they're transparent about it,” he said.