BrightHR analysed absence data from more than 1.2 million employees from 68,879 businesses across the UK from 1st June 2026 to 20th July 2026 and created an infographic of match-by-match results, plus some unusual stats around sickness.
Key findings:
UK workers took 3.8 million days’ sickness absence over the tournament, costing employers a minimum of £93.7 million in sick pay
The UK took 84 million days of annual leave, with a cost of £10.6 billion to the economy
680,000 employees came to work late during the tournament, peaking at an average of 54 minutes the morning after England’s 1am match against Mexico
The average shift worked reduced by 33% to 6.5 hours around key matches, as workers either finished early for a 5pm kick off or arrived later than usual after late-night games
Alan Price, CEO at BrightHR, said: “This has been a summer to remember with football fever sweeping across the country as fans began to believe just maybe this could be the year. But changes to statutory sick pay (SSP) brought in recently under the Employment Rights Act 2025 have hit small businesses hard as this is the first time many employers are liable to pay SSP from day one of sickness. At the start of the tournament, BrightHR predicted 3.6M sickness absences. The final score was 3.8 million sick days, at a cost of at least £93.7 million in sick pay.
“The heatwave in early June also contributed to exceptional absence levels, as sickness due to heat stroke spiked by 3045%. Sun-related reasons for absence rose by 517% the week England played Ghana. Heat related absence alone cost employers £330,000 every day of the heatwave, leaving employers asking for advice on reasonable adjustments.
“This World Cup saw 14 red cards shown, and UK employers also struggled to keep a full team on the pitch. Our Blip clocking in and out software showed shift times dropped by 33% around key matches as workers left early for the 5pm kick-off against DR Congo and arrived later than usual after the 1am match against Mexico.
"While some employees dislike having to clock in and out, it helps employers be more flexible, not less, especially when staff work across different sites. Recording shift times means employees were able to arrange flexible working and make up their time without incurring penalties.
“There were 680,000 recorded late starts during the tournament, peaking at an average lateness of 54 minutes the morning after the 1am match against Mexico. On the same date, an estimated 1 in 5 workers were absent through sickness, or annual leave.
"While annual leave and shift patterns are negotiable, many employers were caught out by last-minute requests and the need to treat all employees fairly. With customers equally scarce, many bosses chose to shut up shop or open later in the day rather than trying to get by on skeleton staff or face accusations of unfairness.
“The day after England’s semi-final match against Argentina saw 2.1 million workers take annual leave. And the optimists ruled: between Monday 13th and Thursday 16th July, annual leave bookings for the day after the final rose by 7%. We’ll see how many still go ahead with England out of the running.
“Over the entire tournament, workers took 84 million days of annual leave, at a cost of £10.6 billion to the UK economy.
"And, while sadly we must wait another four years to see if England can finally bring it home, the real winners in this World Cup were those businesses who worked with their employees, embracing the spirit of the tournament and being flexible.”
The BrightHR Work Cup infographic is free to download here: https://brighthr.com/download-centre/infographics/the-work-cup/