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King Charles approves Scotland bank holiday for first World Cup in 28 years as England waits

Monday 15 June 2026 has been confirmed as a national bank holiday in Scotland to mark the men's team's first World Cup appearance since 1998. England could receive a similar holiday on 20 July — but only if the team wins the tournament.

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King Charles approves Scotland bank holiday for first World Cup in 28 years as England waits
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King Charles has approved a national bank holiday for Scotland on Monday 15 June 2026, giving the country a day to celebrate its men’s football team’s first World Cup appearance in 28 years.

The proclamation was proposed by Scottish First Minister John Swinney and follows Scotland’s qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup — their first since France 1998 — secured with a victory over Denmark in November. Scotland’s opening game is against Haiti at 2am BST on Sunday 14 June, with the bank holiday the following day designed to allow fans, businesses and organisations to mark the occasion.

“Scotland will be on the world stage this summer and I want as many people as possible to be able to celebrate that moment,” Swinney said. “Football means a great deal to many people in this country and it has been almost three decades since our men’s national team played at the World Cup finals tournament. The joyous reaction when Steve Clarke and his players secured qualification demonstrated what it meant to end that long absence.”

Swinney added that he was “very grateful” to the King for approving the proposal and encouraged employers across Scotland to work with staff to put in place arrangements allowing as many people as possible to join the celebrations.

The bank holiday applies only to Scotland, leaving English fans without an equivalent day off — at least for now. The UK parliament has published a motion to grant England a bank holiday on Monday 20 July 2026, but the measure is conditional: it would only come into effect if England win the World Cup.

The parliamentary motion acknowledged that “a World Cup victory by England would be a rare national moment likely to bring together families, neighbours and communities across the country” and argued that enabling people to celebrate together “would strengthen community spirit and provide an opportunity for shared civic pride.”

England begin their World Cup campaign on 17 June against Croatia.

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