King Charles III has declared a bank holiday in Scotland on Monday, June 15, 2026, to celebrate the nation's return to the FIFA World Cup. The announcement follows a request from First Minister John Swinney for the day after Scotland's debut match to be recognised as an annual holiday.
Scotland's men's national team will play their first group stage fixture against Haiti on Sunday, June 14, with kick-off scheduled for 2am UK time. This marks Scotland's first World Cup appearance since 1998, ending a 28-year absence from the tournament.
Buckingham Palace confirmed the decision on Wednesday, citing the Banking and Financial Dealings Act 1971. The official statement read: 'To mark the achievement of Scotland’s men’s football team competing at the Fifa World Cup for the first time in 28 years, we consider it desirable that Monday, the fifteenth day of June in the year 2026 should be a bank holiday in Scotland.'
First Minister John Swinney welcomed the news on social media, posting on X: 'It’s now official. Scotland will have an extra bank holiday on Monday 15 June to mark our return to the World Cup.'
