World cup fever at work

How employers can avoid an own goal

The FIFA World Cup kicks off this June, bringing with it excitement, national pride, and perhaps a few workplace challenges. Whether your employees are die-hard football fans or simply looking forward to the atmosphere, major sporting events can have a noticeable impact on attendance, productivity and workplace morale. The good news is that with a little planning, employers can turn the tournament into a positive experience rather than a HR headache.

Why Employers Should Prepare

Acas has encouraged employers to have a “good team line-up” in place before the tournament begins, recommending that businesses review their policies and communicate expectations clearly in advance. The aim is simple: keep employees engaged while ensuring the business continues to operate effectively. During previous World Cups, employers reported increases in:

Holiday requests
Flexible working requests
Late arrivals after evening matches
Unauthorised absences
Increased use of social media and live streams during working hours

Planning ahead can help avoid disputes and ensure everyone knows the rules before the first whistle blows

Key Areas Employers Should Consider

Holiday Requests

It’s likely that employees will want time off to watch matches, particularly if home nations progress through the tournament. Employers should:

Apply holiday approval processes consistently.
Avoid favouritism.
Consider first-come, first-served arrangements where appropriate.
Communicate early if certain dates are likely to be particularly busy.

Remember, declining a holiday request is perfectly acceptable if there are genuine business reasons for doing so.

Watching Matches During Working Hours

Some businesses may choose to embrace the tournament by allowing staff to follow matches during work hours.

Options could include:

Screening key games in break rooms.
Allowing staff to watch important matches together.
Organising sweepstakes or prediction competitions.
Relaxing dress codes to allow football shirts.

If you do decide to introduce special arrangements, ensure they are inclusive and voluntary. Not everyone follows football, and some employees may have no interest in participating.

Flexible Working

One of Acas’ key recommendations is to consider temporary flexibility where operationally possible. This could include:

Allowing employees to start later after a late-night match.
Permitting staff to finish early and make up the time later.
Allowing shift swaps with management approval.
Offering temporary home-working arrangements where practical.

Flexibility can often improve morale and reduce the temptation for employees to call in “sick” when they simply want to watch a match.

Social Media and Online Activity

Employers may wish to remind employees of internet and social media policies before the tournament begins. A quick refresher can help manage expectations around:

Streaming matches during work time.
Excessive social media use.
Posting inappropriate comments online that could reflect poorly on the business.

Clear communication now can prevent problems later.

Attendance and Sickness Absence

The World Cup doesn’t suspend company policies. Employees should be reminded that attendance and sickness procedures remain in force throughout the tournament. Employers should deal with any unauthorised absence consistently and in line with existing procedures. If patterns emerge, such as repeated absences following major matches, employers may wish to investigate further in accordance with their disciplinary procedures.

The Opportunity: Boosting Team Morale

While much of the focus is on managing risk, the World Cup can also be a fantastic opportunity to bring teams together. Many employers use major sporting events to:

Improve employee engagement.
Build stronger relationships across departments.
Create fun workplace competitions.
Encourage team spirit.

A simple sweepstake, prediction league or themed lunch can often generate more conversation and camaraderie than months of formal team-building exercises.

Fun World Cup Workplace Facts

To finish on a lighter note, here are some interesting facts employers may enjoy:

⚽ The 2026 World Cup will be the largest in history, featuring 48 nations and 104 matches.

⚽ The tournament is being hosted across the USA, Canada and Mexico.

⚽ Due to the time difference, many matches will be played during UK evenings and overnight hours, potentially leading to tired employees the next morning.

⚽ Studies following previous World Cups have found that employee engagement often increases when employers embrace the tournament rather than trying to suppress it.

⚽ One of the most common workplace World Cup traditions remains the office sweepstake, despite it having been around for decades.

Final Whistle

The World Cup only comes around every four years. With sensible planning, clear communication and a little flexibility, employers can avoid unnecessary disputes while creating an enjoyable experience for their teams. Like any successful football team, preparation is everything.

Get your policies, expectations and communication in place now, and you’ll be well positioned to enjoy the tournament without conceding any employment law own goals.

FULL ACAS GUIDANCE HERE: Acas urges employers to have a good team line-up before World Cup kick-off | Acas