World Cup 2026 workplace absences: what UK employers need to know

England’s round of 32 clash against Mexico kicks off at 1am on Monday 7 July. And with the government allowing pubs to stay open until 5am for the occasion, Monday carries more absence risk than anything the group stage threw up.

Citation has found absence patterns change across UK businesses throughout England’s group stage matches. Weeknight fixtures drove absences as high as 16.4% above normal the following day and 11.5% on average across all weeknight fixtures. That’s almost entirely through planned holiday bookings, not sickness. But a 1am kick-off with no run-up time to plan is a different situation. Here’s what the data shows, what’s likely to happen on Monday, and what to do if absences do rise.

Key takeaways

Question	Answer
Have England World Cup games affected absences so far?	Yes, absences peaked at 16.4% above normal the day after England vs Ghana; 11.5% on average across all four weeknight fixtures
Is it mostly sickness or holiday leave?	Mostly holiday bookings, sickness was flat or down on the same dates
Which sectors are most affected?	Construction, manufacturing, engineering
Did the weekend match have the same effect?	No, the Panama game on Saturday produced no absence spike
Does the Mexico game carry more risk?	Yes, a 1am kick-off with pub extensions to 5am changes the picture

 

What does Citation’s absence data show for England’s World Cup matches so far?

Citation found that the pattern is consistent: weeknight games drive a clear spike, while the Saturday Panama fixture produced no effect at all.

Date	Fixture	Day	vs typical
Wed 17 Jun	England v Croatia — match day	Wednesday	+7.8%
Thu 18 Jun	Day after Croatia	Thursday	+13.7%
Tue 23 Jun	England v Ghana — match day	Tuesday	+8.0%
Wed 24 Jun	Day after Ghana	Wednesday	+16.4%
Sat 27 Jun	England v Panama — match day	Saturday	-4.9%
Sun 28 Jun	Day after Panama	Sunday	+4.3%
Mon 29 Jun	Next workday after Panama	Monday	-5.5%

The Panama contrast tells you a lot. With no work-day conflict to plan around, absence was flat or below normal. That’s the clearest sign that the World Cup effect is practical and planning driven. When there’s a window to book time off in advance, people use it.

Is World Cup absence driven by sickness or planned holiday?

So far, World Cup absences are overwhelmingly by holiday. Holiday absences on England match days and the day after were up by as much as +21% compared to normal. Sickness on those same dates was flat or down by as much as 22%.

That’s reassuring and changes how you should respond. When people are planning ahead, the usual tools work: clear leave processes, reasonable flexibility, and communicating early. If your team has been booking leave around the group games, they’ve been doing the right thing.

Monday is a different situation. There’s been no real run-up time to plan. The game kicks off at 1am on what is still technically Sunday night, with pubs licensed until 5am under a special extension confirmed by the UK government. If it goes to extra time and penalties, it could finish close to 4am. And that could mean more, unplanned absences.

How is England vs Mexico different from the group stage fixtures?

Three things set Monday apart.

1. The kick-off time. A 1am start is unlike anything the tournament has produced so far. Previous evening games gave people a chance to watch and still get a few hours’ sleep. Monday doesn’t offer that.
2. The pub opening extension. The government has confirmed pubs in England can stay open until 5am on Sunday night for the match. Even people who head out with the best intentions may find themselves watching the final whistle well into the early hours.
3. The knockout stakes. A round of 32 tie against a host nation carries different emotional weight to the group stage. If it goes to extra time and penalties and finishes at 3 or 4am, Monday’s absence picture could look very different to anything we’ve seen so far.

What can UK employers do before Monday’s game?

The most useful thing you can do right now is get ahead of it. Let your team know how you’ll handle last-minute leave requests and Monday absences and make sure your managers are all applying the same approach.

A few things worth doing before the weekend:

• Check your absence policy is up to date and that your managers know how to apply it consistently, regardless of why someone is off.
• Encourage your team to book leave now if they know they’ll be watching the game. A planned absence is far easier to deal with than an unplanned one.
• Think about flexibility where the role allows. A later start or a shift swap can head off a string of Monday morning call-ins — often with very little disruption on your end.
• If you’re in a safety-critical sector, brief your managers to be alert to tiredness and any signs of impairment on Monday. That’s not about being heavy-handed — it’s about keeping people safe.

What if an employee turns up still under the influence of alcohol?

This is a separate, more serious situation, particularly in safety-critical sectors.

There’s an important distinction to understand here. An employee who calls in sick because they know they’re still under the influence has arguably made the safer call — even if it’s not what you’d want.

Gill McAteer, Director of Employment Law says, “I wouldn’t treat it as gross misconduct because they’ve recognised they’re still under the influence and are not fit for work. It is a disciplinary offence, but the difference is they did not go into work under the influence, potentially causing a bigger risk for the business, which would be gross misconduct.”

The more serious scenario is someone who turns up impaired. Make sure your managers know they can act if they have real concerns and know what process to follow. In construction, manufacturing and other high-risk environments, Monday morning is not the moment to hope for the best.

 

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