Article by Alexandru Tomuțiu – Published Monday, 08 June 2026 20:41 / Updated Monday, 08 June 2026 20:54
King Charles has given royal approval for a day off in Scotland next Monday, June 15, giving supporters the chance to watch their national team compete at the World Cup for the first time in almost three decades.
The Tartan Army will take on Haiti in their Group C opener, marking Scotland's return to the tournament after a 28-year absence since their last appearance in 1998. The extra day off will allow fans to enjoy the late night game and recuperate before returning to work.
Day off for the Scots to watch the Haiti game
The game presents a significant challenge for supporters hoping to watch it live, with kick-off scheduled for 9pm US local time, which translates to 2am on Sunday 14 June for those in Scotland.
The match will take place at Gillette Stadium, near Boston, an arena more associated with American football, being the home of the NFL team New England Patriots.
Prime Minister John Swinney put forward the proposal for this extra day off, recognizing that fans would need time both to support their team and to recover afterwards.
“Scotland will be on the world stage this summer and I want as many people as possible to celebrate this moment,” Mr. Swinney said, according to gbnews.com.
He emphasized the profound importance of football to the nation, noting that it had been “nearly three decades since our national men's team played in a World Cup final tournament”.
The Prime Minister expressed his gratitude to the monarch for supporting the initiative, saying: “I am very grateful to His Majesty King Charles for approving the proposal.”
After the clash with Haiti, Steve Clarke's side will face Morocco on Friday 19 June at a more affordable time of 23:00 (01:00 Romanian time), before finishing their group stage campaign against Brazil on Wednesday 24 June at the same time.
Scotland has participated in 8 World Cups in the past. He never made it past the group stage.
