As football fever builds ahead of the World Cup with the opening match on 11 June, employers are preparing for a rise in annual leave requests around key matches, but sickness and lateness are probably the issues for employers to be more concerned about. 

Analysis by HR and absence management software provider BrightHR forecasts at least 3.6 million sick days will be taken during the tournament, leading to a multimillion pound bill for businesses. This is based on absence data from more than 1.2 million employees from 68,879 businesses across the UK. 

The inevitable hike in sick days around big games will see employers fork out an estimated £94m in sick pay during the tournament, BrightHR forecasts. This is likely to come as a shock to some employers as recent rule changes mean day-one statutory sick pay (SSP) is now in place.   

It is not just sickies which could be a problem. Lateness increased by 50% after matches for the Euros in 2024, and based on the kick-off times in 2026, with most of the England and Scotland matches starting in the late evening or even overnight during the group stages, this will only go up too.  

For many employees, the dates of this year’s World Cup will have been in the diary for months with holidays planned, but as the tournament draws closer and excitement builds, amusingly BrightHR has seen a surge in bookings for days off citing the reason ‘It’s coming home’. We can only hope. 

On a more practical level, the timing of matches will create a challenge for businesses and needs to be carefully managed. Worth noting that for companies in Scotland only there is a special World Cup bank holiday on Monday 15 June, the day the nation plays its first game against Haiti in a match kicking off at 2am in the morning.  

Scotland supporters based in the rest of the UK are not so lucky with a normal working day after the match, which will not end much before 4am. 

Alan Price, CEO at BrightHR, said: ‘Given the time difference between the UK, the US, Canada and Mexico, the day after matches will be the danger zone for sickness and lateness at this World Cup.  

‘Late kick-offs and extended licensing hours will absolutely have an impact on absence rates in England and Scotland. And even if fans are watching at home, there’s the risk of a dodgy burger being blamed for adding to an already queasy stomach the next day. 

‘After England’s 2024 nailbiter against Slovakia, two goals in stoppage time saw fans celebrating into the early hours. It was after this match, rather than the final, when sickness spiked at 214%, with over a quarter of absences put down to food poisoning or stomach bugs.’   

An important factor for employers to bear in mind is the change to statutory sick pay entitlement, after new rules came into effect from April as part of a raft of new day one rights. 

‘Now the Employment Rights Act 2025 is in place, employers have to pay sick pay from the first day of employee sickness for the first time,’ explained Price. ‘The worry is that sickness will rise as workers will receive at least some pay while off sick. And it’s not a small figure. Based on our workings, employers will have to fork out at least £94m in sick pay during the tournament.’ 

Goal, goal, goal

But let’s face it, the World Cup should be fun above all. It is always worth thinking about the benefits of such a global event, an opportunity to bring together colleagues and create real camaraderie in the workplace. The World Cup is only held once every four years so a bit of flexibility from employers can be a positive gesture.  

Football fan Price said: ‘You can expect a few sore heads and late starts from members of your workforce. It’s ok to give your staff a bit of leeway but make sure you treat everyone fairly or risk accusations of favourable treatment.’ 

Useful reading

 Managing World Cup football fans at work | 29 May 2026 

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