England's Euros lie-in! Schools will open later on Monday with millions staying up to watch final against Spain as HR experts warn of a 'tsunami of sick calls' with 3million workers taking day off if Three Lions win
- Euro 2024 final - England v Spain - Olympiastadion Berlin - Sunday, 8pm UK time
Schools in England have begun telling parents that they can send their children in late on Monday morning after staying up for the Euro 2024 final the night before.
The Three Lions will play Spain on Sunday in Berlin in an 8pm kick-off with millions of excited supporters set to watch the match back home with friends and family.
And children are also now being encouraged to watch the game, which will finish at about 10pm at the earliest, with headteachers offering a 'soft start' on Monday.
While there has been no national policy imposed on schools by the Government, many will give children a lie-in and tell them to come in up to two hours late.
It comes as Britons are preparing for a massive weekend as they plan to pack out pubs, attend screenings or get the barbecue out to watch the match. An estimated three million workers have booked annual leave or will call in sick on Monday.
The biggest public screening is set to be at The O2, where up to 15,000 fans will be able to cheer on England in an event organised by London Mayor Sadiq Khan .
Other fan parks, pubs and bars across the country will also be broadcasting the game as hospitality businesses aim to cash in on the mounting excitement. Some fans have even called for a bank holiday if England win the Euros for the first time.
And the AA has warned of traffic chaos due to the M25 being closed in both directions between junctions ten and 11 between 9pm tomorrow and 6am next Monday, meaning a 10-mile diversion will be in place using the A3, A240 and A245.
Its experts said this would affect fans driving to watch the game with friends in London as well as those heading to Germany, the Wimbledon finals, Thorpe Park, Legoland, Gatwick and Heathrow airports and to beaches on the south coast.
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The match will be broadcast on both BBC One, with coverage from 7pm, and ITV1, with coverage from 6.30pm. There will also be radio commentary on BBC 5 Live.
Tesco's 1,800 Express stores will shut at 7.30pm instead of the usual 10pm or 11pm to allow staff to watch the final and still receive their normal pay for those hours.
And Iceland said beer sales are expected to soar 250 per cent in the next 72 hours with pizza and curry sales up 150 per cent amid a three-day shopping splurge.
Schools are now starting to offer delayed starts to pupils on Monday, with parents taking to social media to request leniency after a late night.
Patrick Kennedy, headteacher of St Charles' Roman Catholic Primary School in Rishton, Lancashire, said: 'This could be history in the making - and we know many of our children want to be a part of it. They will be glued to the TV and up until after 10pm.
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'It is also a learning experience, with the national anthem, the players' responsibility and the respect which should be shown to the opposition.
'Registers will be kept open until 10.30am on Monday so children who stay up late can have an extra hour or two in bed and be well rested. Come on England!'
West Wycombe School in Buckinghamshire is also offering pupils a later start. Staff said in a post on X: 'England are in the final of the Euros and everyone here is buzzing!
'We are allowing children a 'soft start' on Monday so that they may stay up a bit later on Sunday to see the big match. Children can arrive anytime from 8.30am to 10.30am and it won't affect their attendance.'
Woodlands Primary School in Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, is also being flexible on the start time.
The school said in a note to parents and carers: 'Due to the England team getting through to the Euro finals, we are aware that a number of children will be watching the match and going to bed late.
'Therefore, we will be leaving the registrations open until 9.25am on Monday morning. Children are invited into school at the usual time of 8.55am but will not get a late mark if in before 9.25am.'
Pepe Di'Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, told MailOnline that the decision on allowing pupils to arrive late was up to schools.
He said: 'Schools are best placed to make decisions about what arrangements work best in their context, taking into account the understandable excitement that many children will feel about the England football team.
'Occasions such as this create a sense of community and an interest in sport that has great benefits to young people. Schools, along with the rest of the country, will be wishing Gareth Southgate's magnificent team every success in Sunday's final.'
Some adult fans are expecting to call in sick to work, with one telling BBC Radio Nottingham last night: 'No one's going to work on Monday, we're all going to get s*** faced.'
And an HR expert warned of a 'tsunami of sick calls, annual leave requests and lateness' on Monday, the day after the game.
Some 1.5million workers are set to have a day's holiday on Monday, with annual leave requests already up 121 per cent on average and expected to rise significantly in the coming hours, according to figures from BrightHR. Another 1.5million staff are set to call in sick.
Hundreds of thousands more are expected to be late, with 10million set to work from home. BrightHR, which monitors attendance across 50,000 UK companies, said sickness absence soared by 232 per cent the day after England's Euro 2020 final.
It comes after England beat the Netherlands 2-1 in a dramatic semi-final in Dortmund last night which saw Aston Villa's Ollie Watkins score the winner in the 90th minute.
It means Gareth Southgate's team, who finished as runners-up at Euro 2020, are going to their second successive European Championship final.
No English men's team has made it to a major final on foreign soil before and now they have the chance to become European champions for the first time.
Prince William, as president of the Football Association, is expected to be in the stands on Sunday – but this is yet to be confirmed by Kensington Palace.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, who was able to watch some of the semi-final while attending a Nato summit in Washington DC, has confirmed he will be at the Olympiastadion Berlin on Sunday.
But the game is likely to cause major disruption to companies on Monday morning, according to HR experts.
Alan Price, chief executive at BrightHR, told MailOnline: 'Monday is set to be a day of major disruption for businesses as England faces Spain in the historic Euros final on Sunday.
'Expect a tsunami of sick calls, annual leave requests, and lateness as fans recover from a night of celebration.'
He said that previous Euros and World Cup finals show that workplace absences can double on days after big England matches, adding: 'Small businesses, in particular, will be hit hard, with staff calling in sick in droves after a late night in the pub.'
Kate Palmer, employment services director at Peninsula, added: 'Win or lose, it's likely that there will be a lot of sore heads come Monday morning as England fans either celebrate or drown their sorrows.
'For employers, this poses a problem. Not only can hangovers eat into productivity and accuracy, but there can also be a serious impact if employees drive for a living.
'Employers have a duty to ensure that employees are not under the influence of any intoxicant to an extent that could endanger safety, health, and welfare at work.
'Employers should not let someone drive if they reasonably believe them to be drunk - to do so would make them liable. If you believe that someone is still under the influence from the night before then send them home to sleep it off, making sure to arrange transport.
'Do not let them drive. Employees have a duty to take reasonable care of themselves and anyone else who could be affected by what they do. It is of course illegal to drive whilst under the influence of alcohol or drugs.'
And Paul Holcroft, managing director at Croner, said: 'A question that crops up whenever England makes it to the final of a major competition is whether there will be an extra bank holiday if they win.
'Nothing has been said officially about this yet, but the answer is probably not. We didn't get one when the women's team won Euro 2022 nor was one proposed when the men's team made it to the final of Euro 2020.
'However, employers can offer some flexibility if they are able to on Monday morning. There is no obligation to do this, for many it will be business as usual.
'But if employers do choose to do this it could be good for morale. In a weird twist of fate, there will be an extra bank holiday on Monday in Jersey, but it's for the royal visit rather than anything to do with the football!'
Among the millions watching back in England will be those at The O2, where Mr Khan has announced a watch event on a giant 16m (52ft) screen.
Fans are being invited to arrive from 6pm to enjoy pre-match entertainment and tickets are set to be allocated via a ballot on City Hall's website.
This will open at 10am today and close tomorrow at 9am. Successful entrants will be notified via email by midday tomorrow to secure up to four tickets.
Mr Khan said: 'I am so proud of what this team have achieved in reaching another major final. I'm delighted that we can now invite 15,000 England fans to The O2 on Sunday night for what we all hope will be a night of great drama and celebration.
'For those who can't make it to The O2, there will be a plethora of pubs, clubs, bars and other hospitality venues across London receiving a welcome economic boost and generating a fantastic atmosphere by showing the match.
'We all recall the heartache of Wembley three years ago but being a football fan requires eternal optimism and we now stand ready once again to roar on the Three Lions as they look to finish the job against Spain. Come on England!'
The ballot is open to those aged 18 or over. Children are allowed to attend the screening but must be accompanied by a 'responsible adult' – and the standing area is for over 16s only.
Fans are encouraged to wear England shirts but no other football shirts will be permitted, which the Mayor's office said was 'standard procedure at screenings such as this'.
Steve Sayer, general manager at The O2, added: 'We're thrilled to be welcoming England fans to The O2 this Sunday to cheer on the Three Lions.
'It's going to be an incredible atmosphere with up to 15,000 fans in the arena, and hopefully a memorable night of celebrations. It's coming home!'
Other events planned in London for the final include an open-air screening for 1,000 people at the Street Food Garden in Battersea Park, which will be an 18+ ticketed event with entrance from 6.30pm.
The popular Boxpark venues will also be showing the game - while other cities have events such as in Manchester at the Albert Hall music venue.
Almost 8,000 P&O Cruises guests watched the match last night. Throughout Europe across seven ships, guests flocked to the theatres, bars and Arvia's SkyDome to watch the game. The final will also be shown onboard P&O Cruises fleet on Sunday.
Sunday's event at The O2 was organised after Mr Khan was criticised for failing to arrange a fan zone – or even just a big screen – for the semi-final.
Speaking about the lack of event for last night, Sir Iain Duncan Smith, Tory MP for Chingford and Woodford Green, said the Labour mayor 'should be more generous', adding: 'Other cities have big screens for events like this which bring the community together. The mayor is being a killjoy.'
The most recent Euros, delayed by a year to 2021 due to Covid-19, saw the tournament staged across Europe, with Wembley hosting the final.
The game, won by Italy on penalties against England, was marred by violence when 2,000 ticketless fans stormed the stadium.
London provided a fan zone in Trafalgar Square and a 'football village' by Tower Bridge, both screening matches.
Meanwhile, the King congratulated the England men's football team on reaching the final - but has urged them to avoid more last-minute drama.
In a message to Southgate's side, Charles sent the players the royal family's 'very best wishes' and 'warmest congratulations'.
But the King quipped about the recent drama endured by England fans, including a last-gasp equaliser in the second round against Slovakia and a penalty triumph against Switzerland in the quarter-final, asking them to watch out for the nation's blood pressure in the final.
He said: 'My wife and I join all our family in wishing you the warmest congratulations on reaching the final of the Uefa European Championship - and in sending our very best wishes for Sunday's match.
'If I may encourage you to secure victory before the need for any last minute wonder-goals or another penalties drama, I am sure the stresses on the nation's collective heart rate and blood pressure would be greatly alleviated! Good luck, England.'
It comes after more drama in the semi-final after Watkins scored a 90th-minute winner to send them through.
The Three Lions fell behind after seven minutes to a Xavi Simons strike but a controversial Harry Kane penalty, awarded by VAR, brought the scores level 10 minutes later.
The Prince of Wales, who is a Villa fan, also congratulated England and singled out Watkins for praise in a message on social media.
He said: 'What a beauty, Ollie! Congratulations England! #EURO2024 Finalists.'
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