FIFA World Cup 2026 – Workforce Planning for UK Employers

The 2026 World Cup (11 June–19 July) is likely to affect UK workplaces differently from previous tournaments because most matches will be played in North American time zones. 

The biggest challenge is expected to be employee fatigue after late-night matches, rather than employees watching games during working hours.

As the 2026 FIFA World Cup starts next week, employers may wish to plan for potential workforce impacts. 

For the Home Nations, the first-round group stage matches are currently scheduled as follows:

• Scotland: 13, 19 and 24 June
• England: 17, 23 and 27 June

Most matches are expected to kick off during the UK evening or overnight, so the main impact is likely to be employee fatigue, late starts, increased annual leave requests and requests to work flexibly the following day, rather than employees watching matches during working hours.

For the Home Nations:

• England’s group games are scheduled at around 9pm–10pm BST. England vs Croatia, for example, is a 9pm BST kick-off.
• Scotland’s group games are even less workforce-friendly, with matches reported at 11pm BST and one at 2am BST

Employers may wish to take the following steps:

• Remind employees in advance of normal absence reporting procedures
• Encourage employees to request annual leave or adjusted hours early
• Consider temporary flexibility, such as later start times or home working, where this is operationally possible
• Apply any flexibility consistently to avoid unfairness between teams or employees
• Remind managers to deal with unauthorised absence or lateness in line with existing policies
• Be mindful that not all employees will be interested in football, so engagement activities should remain inclusive
• Consider whether key matches could be used positively, for example through informal team activities, sweepstakes or workplace screenings where appropriate