Which countries will see the biggest loss of productivity among workers?
The FIFA World Cup is supposed to be the world's greatest celebration of sport. For HR leaders, it may also be the world's most expensive workforce management test.
New research from UKG (May 2026) estimates the tournament could drive at least US $17 billion in lost productivity across eight countries — with $11.7 billion of that in the United States alone.
The survey among 8,000 employees in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Mexico, the Netherlands, the U.K., and the U.S., offers a detailed looks yet at how a mega-event disrupts daily work — and what employers can do about it.
The lost productivity burden is not evenly distributed. Using a formula that incorporates survey data alongside government wage and hours-worked figures, UKG estimated the following costs, all in U.S. dollars:
- Germany at $1.34 billion
- U.K. at $912 million
- France at $749 million
- Australia at $653 million
- Canada at $479 million
- the Netherlands at $388 million
- Mexico at $369 million.
Workers plan to skip, stream and show up hungover
The data paints a candid picture of employee intentions. According to the UKG survey, 37% of employees globally plan to adjust their work schedules because of the tournament, and more than a quarter — 27% — say they are likely to miss work by coming in late, leaving early, or skipping entirely.
The disruptions don't stop there. One in five employees (22%) expect to clock in while tired or exhausted, 14% admit they plan to secretly stream matches while on the clock, and 11% say they'll show up while hungover.
A quarter of workers (26%) said they plan to push the limits of what their manager will tolerate.
"When absenteeism and presenteeism hit at scale, the effect is immediate and expensive," UKG chief product officer Suresh Vittal said in the company's release. "Productivity drops, customer experience suffers, and morale takes a hit as the rest of the team is left to cover the gaps."
Manager problem during FIFA
One of the more striking findings involves the people tasked with enforcing attendance policies: managers themselves. According to the UKG survey, managers were significantly more likely than non-managers to:
- plan a day off (42% vs. 24%)
- request schedule changes in advance (50% vs. 34%)
- ask for last-minute flexibility (45% vs. 28%).
And the stakes are higher than a single lost workday — one in five employees (19%) said they would consider looking for a new job if their work schedule negatively affected their World Cup experience.
Host cities face different challenges
For employers in major Canadian cities like Toronto and Vancouver — both FIFA 2026 host cities — the disruption extends well beyond productivity spreadsheets.
Robert VanWynsberghe, a professor of educational studies at the University of British Columbia who has researched the aftereffects of sporting events on communities, says HR leaders should treat the World Cup "less as a party and more as a complex urban project" that can disrupt scheduling, commutes, and workplace safety.
