World Cup 2026: Is Your Business Ready?
The 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off on 11 June, and for UK employers, the excitement comes with a familiar headache, just with a transatlantic twist.
The tournament, hosted across the US, Canada and Mexico, is expected to create major disruption for British workplaces because of the time difference. With matches taking place across several North American time zones, many fixtures will kick off late at night or in the early hours for UK viewers. A 9pm Eastern Time match, for example, begins at 2am in the UK, while some fixtures are expected to start as late as 5am.
Research by YouGov found that more than half of people in the UK planning to follow the tournament intend to watch matches live rather than catch up later, which means millions of employees will be choosing between sleep and football, and HR teams will be managing the aftermath.
The scale of it
With the 2026 World Cup stretching over 39 days and featuring more teams than ever, projections suggest the UK could see upwards of 650,000 sick days, with the cost to the UK economy leaping above £1.4 billion if trends continue unchecked. Employers should expect higher levels of distraction, late arrivals and short-notice absences, particularly if England and Scotland progress deep into the competition.
Getting the approach right
The temptation for HR teams is to clamp down, but the businesses that come through it best tend to work with it rather than against it.
Employers can use the tournament to raise their workforce's morale, offering some flexibility around kick-off times and the mornings after big games while making clear expectations around attendance and professionalism. Businesses are being encouraged to consider flexible start times, remote working allowances and fewer early-morning meetings following major fixtures.
What you do need, though, is visibility. A spike in last-minute leave requests and short-notice absences only works if your HR team has a clear, up-to-date picture of who’s where. Try managing that across a spreadsheet and email chain through June and July and things will start getting missed.
Where StaffCentral helps
StaffCentral gives HR teams that picture. Leave requests, absence records, and employee availability, all in one place. When the short-notice calls start coming in on the morning after a late-night England match, your HR team shouldn’t be scrambling to piece together who’s where. They should be able to check quickly, respond, and move on.
And with employees able to submit leave requests and check their own balances directly through StaffCentral, there’s less back-and-forth eating into HR’s time when things get busy.
The World Cup should be fun. Make sure your HR team gets to enjoy it too.
Want to see how StaffCentral keeps your HR admin on top of things this summer and beyond? Get in touch.
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