A BANK holiday to coincide with Scotland’s first World Cup game has been confirmed after royal assent from the king.
Monday 15 June, the date of Scotland’s World Cup opener against Haiti, has been named an official bank holiday by the king following a royal proclamation.
There have been calls to institute a bank holiday on the day of Scotland’s first fixture since the stunning 4-2 victory over Denmark confirmed Scotland’s qualification for the tournament.
Those calls have now been answered, after a campaign from the Scottish Government and leaders from across the political spectrum.
First Minister John Swinney first proposed the bank holiday in early January, after urging from the Scottish Greens.
King Charles has now given his assent to these proposals in a proclamation issued from Buckingham Palace.
It 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.
“Now, therefore, we, in pursuance of section 1(3) of the Banking and Financial Dealings Act 1971, do hereby appoint Monday, the fifteenth day of June in the year 2026 to be a bank holiday in Scotland.”
First Minister John Swinney advised the privy council, the king’s council of senior advisors, on the matter.
First Minister John Swinney said: “Scotland will be on the world stage this summer and I want as many people as possible to be able to celebrate that moment.
“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.
“We want to make the most of Scotland’s participation in this global sporting event by ensuring people have the opportunity to come together and celebrate – no matter the outcome of the match.
“That is why I proposed making the Monday following our opening game in Boston a national bank holiday.
“I am very grateful to His Majesty King Charles for approving the proposal and I encourage employers around the country to work with staff to put in place suitable arrangements that will allow as many of them as possible to join in the celebrations.”
He has previously said he sees this as an opportunity for Scotland to give an account of itself on the world stage, attract business development, create tourism interest and build sporting and cultural connections.
There is no official requirement for businesses to give specific days as paid leave, and many choose to include bank holidays as part of workers’ annual holiday entitlement.
The Scottish Government is working with local authorities to arrange for special licenses to be granted for pubs to stay open much later than usual, with Scotland’s Haiti opener kicking off at 2am GMT.
Following this, they will face Morocco on 19 June and Brazil on 24 June.
