King Charles has approved a national bank holiday for Scotland on Monday 15 June 2026 to mark the men's football team's first World Cup appearance since 1998. The holiday was proposed by First Minister John Swinney to allow celebrations following Scotland's opening game against Haiti.
The bank holiday applies only to Scotland, leaving English fans disappointed. However, the UK parliament has published a motion for a bank holiday in England on Monday 20 July 2026, but only if England wins the World Cup.
First Minister Swinney expressed gratitude to the King, saying: 'Scotland will be on the world stage this summer and I want as many people as possible to be able to celebrate that moment.' He noted that football 'means a great deal to many people' and that the team's qualification ended a 28-year absence.
Scotland secured their place by beating Denmark in November. Their first match against Haiti kicks off at 2am BST on Sunday 14 June. England's opening game is against Croatia on 17 June at 9pm BST.
