Nearly a third of UK football fans plan to take days off work for late-night World Cup matches
Key Points
- 29% of UK football fans plan to take the day off work after late-night World Cup matches, rising to 36% of 18 to 24 year olds, according to Virgin Media O2 research.
- 42% of fans expect the tournament to disrupt their routines, with 18% planning middle-of-the-night alarms and 10% planning to sleep separately from partners.
- 26% of Brits would be tempted to call in sick after an England Final, rising to 35% of Gen Z employees.
- Virgin Media O2 forecasts significant increases in overnight broadband and mobile demand, and is pausing non-essential network changes during the tournament.
- The survey of 2,000 UK adults was conducted by Strand Partners between 29 May and 2 June 2026.
Nearly a third of UK football fans plan to book time off work after staying up for late-night World Cup matches this summer, according to new research from Virgin Media O2.
The survey of 2,000 UK adults, conducted by Strand Partners between 29 May and 2 June 2026, found that 29% of football fans intend to take the day off following late-night fixtures, rising to 36% among 18 to 24 year olds.
With matches kicking off across North American time zones, many games will air in the UK in the early hours of the morning, and fans are already planning around the disruption.
More than two-fifths of fans (42%) expect the tournament to disrupt their normal routines, while 47% expect to stay up later than usual and 37% believe it will affect their sleep schedules.
Two-fifths (40%) expect to adjust their working patterns during the tournament.
Some fans are taking more drastic measures to fit football around family life. Nearly one in five (18%) plan to set alarms in the middle of the night to catch matches, while 10% intend to sleep in separate rooms or on the sofa to avoid disturbing their partners.
One fan told researchers he plans to move his matchday setup into a garden shed, where he will watch late-night games and sleep afterwards to avoid waking his partner.
The potential for workplace disruption grows if England goes deep into the tournament. Just over a quarter of Brits (26%) said they would be tempted to call in sick the day after an England Final, rising to 35% among Gen Z employees.
Confidence in the team is high, with nearly half of Brits (49%) believing England can reach the Final.
Networks brace for late-night demand
Virgin Media O2 expects the tournament to drive one of the biggest shifts in UK connectivity patterns in recent years, forecasting significant increases in both broadband and mobile demand.
The operator anticipates that early fixtures will push up overnight broadband usage as fans stream matches from home, while knockout games are expected to shift audiences towards pubs, fan zones and outdoor screenings, increasing mobile traffic.
“Major sporting moments now play out simultaneously on the pitch and online,” said Jeanie York, chief technology officer at Virgin Media O2.
“Whether customers are streaming matches at home, reacting from pub gardens or messaging friends after a last-minute goal, the summer of football is expected to drive a major shift in late-night connectivity demand.”
The company is pausing non-essential planned network changes during key periods of the tournament and will monitor its networks around the clock, with additional engineering support on standby.
The tournament will also serve as a major real-world test for the operator’s 5G+ network, which is now available in more than 700 towns and cities as part of its £700 million Mobile Transformation Plan.
