World Cup Could Cost Employers £12.6 Billion in Lost Productivity, UKG Says

LONDON, U.K.

Key Takeaways

  • Global survey finds employees — and managers — plan to skip work, show up tired or hungover, and push the limits of what their bosses will allow
  • Workplace frustration could become a retention risk: 1 in 5 employees say they would consider looking for a new job if work or a manager hurts their World Cup experience
  • With 37% of employees planning to change their schedules, labour planning, practical flexibility, and clear communication can turn the World Cup into a performance catalyst for people and businesses

The FIFA World Cup™ is a global celebration that will also be a multibillion-dollar test of workforce agility. New UKG research of 8,000 employees across Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Mexico, the Netherlands, the U.K., and the U.S. estimates the tournament could drive at least £12.6 billion1 GBP2 in lost productivity, including £681 million in the U.K. alone. 

Providing one of the most in-depth views into the World Cup’s global impact on workplaces to date, the survey shows individual contributors and frontline managers plan to skip work, clock in hungover, follow matches while on the clock, and push for levels of flexibility many employers may not be prepared to support.

“The World Cup is a high-profile example of a challenge employers face every day: Work changes by the hour, especially in frontline-heavy environments, and static planning can quickly expose an execution gap,” said Russell Howe, Group Vice President, EMEA at UKG. “The World Cup is not just a global cultural moment people want to experience. It is a workplace planning challenge that will put pressure on performance and productivity, staffing coverage, communication, morale, and even retention if handled poorly.”

Analysis by UKG found significant hidden lost productivity costs caused by absenteeism and presenteeism during the World Cup, including: 

  • Australia: £489 million 
  • Canada: £301 million 
  • France: £556 million 
  • Germany: £991 million 
  • Mexico: £274 million 
  • Netherlands: £288 million 
  • U.K.: £681 million 
  • U.S.: £8.7 billion 

Hangovers and Secret Streaming to Disrupt Workplace 

According to the survey, 37% of employees globally plan to adjust their work schedule because of the tournament, and more than a quarter (27%) are likely to miss work by coming in late, leaving early, or skipping entirely. 

There are more consequential risks in play: 26% of employees admit they plan to push the limits of what their manager will tolerate, including secretly streaming matches and highlights (14%). One in 5 employees (22%) expect to clock in while tired or exhausted and 11% admit they’ll even be working while hungover. 

“This is a one-two punch of absenteeism and presenteeism. It’s a costly combination that can have a compounding impact on productivity, customer experience, and team morale as others are forced to pick up the slack,” said Howe. “Organisations, especially those in frontline-intensive industries, need to plan today with the ability to manage disruption quickly, adapt coverage in real-time, and use flexibility as a strategy to protect both business performance and employee trust.”

Retention Risks, and the Middle-Manager Dilemma 

Many employees (39%) say they don’t believe their employer will care about the World Cup, and 1 in 5 (19%) report that they will consider looking for a new job if their work schedule negatively impacts their World Cup experience. 

Compared with non-managers, managers were significantly more likely to plan a day off (42% vs. 24%), request schedule changes in advance (50% vs. 34%), and ask for last-minute flexibility (45% vs. 28%). One-third of everyone surveyed (33%) say they will take at least one day off during the World Cup.

Creating a Flexible Game Plan

While the World Cup takes place once every four years, it lasts for 39 days and only some of the matches are known in advance. This makes costly World Cup-related disruptions partly predictable and plannable, and partly unknown until the tournament unfolds. 

“The best employers will be ready to adapt as the World Cup tournament advances,” said Howe. “Employers do not have to choose between productivity and employee flexibility. With the right mix of long-term planning, real-time visibility, and clear communications, they can turn a potential productivity drain into a catalyst that builds trust and enhanced performance to have a long-lasting impact.”

Supporting Resources

About UKG

UKG is a leading global AI platform for HR, pay, and workforce management. Unifying award-winning solutions with the world’s largest collection of workforce data and people-first AI, UKG delivers unrivalled insights into today’s workforce, helping organisations in every industry turn data into decisions that elevate productivity, culture, and the customer experience. Trusted by more than 80,000 organisations across 150 countries, tens of millions of employees — from small businesses to global enterprises — use UKG every day. To learn more, visit ukg.com.


Footnote 1: All lost productivity cost estimates contained in this document reflect a UKG formula calculation which factors in respondent survey data as well as wage data, and hours worked data from official government reports specific to each country. Contact [email protected] for more specifics.

Footnote 2: All lost productivity cost estimates are reflected in pounds sterling (GBP) for the purposes of this document.

Official methodology:

Research was conducted on behalf of UKG by Censuswide among a nationally representative sample of 8,000 employees in Australia, Germany, U.K., France, U.S., Mexico, Canada, and The Netherlands between 05.08.2026 - 5.12.2026. Censuswide is a member of the Market Research Society and the British Polling Council, and a signatory of the Global Data Quality Pledge.

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