When is it?

The 2026 FIFA World Cup starts on Thursday 11th June 2026 and ends on Sunday 19th July 2026.

The tournament takes place in Canada, Mexico and the United States. Some matches may be played during your organisation’s working hours. A perfect storm of summer holidays, hybrid working, a major sporting event, and hot weather (at the time of writing) will test attendance and productivity.

What are the potential problems?

Most employers will not struggle because staff enjoy football. They will struggle because managers react inconsistently under pressure.

Flexible working requests will increase. So will annual leave disputes, late starts, productivity concerns and short-notice absence. Employers may also see conduct issues linked to alcohol, online comments or workplace arguments.

Fairness concerns also tend to surface quickly. Some employers unintentionally show greater flexibility towards England or Scotland supporters while taking a less enthusiastic approach to employees who support other national teams or request flexibility for non-sporting reasons.

That is where problems start.

What is the risk?

The legal issue is rarely the football itself. The real risk lies in inconsistent decision-making.

One manager informally approving time off while another starts disciplinary action for similar behaviour creates obvious employee relations problems and potential discrimination arguments.

There is also a cultural and reputational risk. Heavy-handed responses damage morale. Overly relaxed responses damage operational control. Neither outcome helps performance.

Tribunals tend to focus on consistency, evidence and manager behaviour. Employers who improvise usually create the greatest difficulties.

What should you do?

• Review absence, conduct and flexible working policies now.
• Brief managers on consistency and record-keeping.
• Decide where flexibility is commercially workable.
• Set clear expectations around attendance and availability.
• Avoid assumptions that only England and Scotland matches matter to staff members.
• Keep written records where requests are refused.

Who is going to win it?

That question sits well beyond the scope of this article, although you may discover productivity drops if England or Scotland make the quarter finals.

Source: World Cup 2026 | Match schedule, fixtures & stadiums