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The World Cup 2026 commences this week, with Scotland set to play in their first tournament since 1998, and a new precedent has been set.
Ahead of England and Scotland's first tournament fixtures, King Charles has granted fans of the latter a one-off Bank Holiday to allow the Tartan Army to watch a late-night World Cup game.
By setting this precedent, there are now clear implications regarding England’s World Cup tournament, but how?
England could follow in Scotland’s Bank Holiday footsteps
Scotland’s first fixture of the 48-team tournament in North America will be played against Haiti on June 14.
The match will be held at the Gillette Stadium, near Boston, with a local kick-off time of 9PM — 2AM for the Scottish viewers watching from home.
The kick-off time for Scotland’s first World Cup match since 1998, with their last tournament ending in group stage despair, caused King Charles to grant a one-off Bank Holiday for followers braced to burn the midnight oil.
First Minister John Swinney suggested the idea to give Scotland fans ample time to both support their national team and recover effectively to return to work.
Provided employers abide, the Tartan Army will now be able to stay up late without repercussions for their Haiti clash, but England fans will also face something similar.
Three Lions followers have never been granted a Bank Holiday for World Cup viewing, but, if England are to prevail in Group L’s first position, they will face a 1AM kick-off time in the UK for their first knock-out clash in Mexico City.
And with King Charles setting a new precedent, it remains more possible than ever that England fans will receive a previously unheard of World Cup Bank Holiday.
King Charles’ decision has faced mild backlash for its seemingly over-the-top nature — Scotland fans will have a late Saturday evening into Sunday morning, then receive the Monday off from work.
That backlash will almost certainly disappear should England fans be given identical treatment, making another Bank Holiday decision likely in the event of Three Lions success.
England’s first fixture of the group stage will be played against Croatia on June 17 at the Dallas Stadium in Arlington, Texas, with a kick-off time of 9PM BST.
