The Labour Party government has officially announced the UK’s bank holidays for 2026, with a notable addition for Scotland. While the rest of the UK will follow the usual schedule, Scotland is set to enjoy an extra bank holiday to celebrate a historic football achievement.
In February, Buckingham Palace declared that Monday, 15 June 2026, will be a bank holiday in Scotland. This special holiday marks Scotland’s men’s football team competing in the FIFA World Cup for the first time in 28 years. The formal announcement stated:
“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.”
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Accordingly, under section 1(3) of the Banking and Financial Dealings Act 1971, Monday 15 June 2026 is appointed as a bank holiday in Scotland.
However, the extra day off has not been universally welcomed. Despite the national holiday declaration, Edinburgh council has decided against giving school pupils and council staff the day off following Scotland’s World Cup opening match against Haiti. First Minister John Swinney had announced the bank holiday after the team qualified, but the City of Edinburgh Council rejected the proposal at a full council meeting. To date, only five councils in Scotland have approved the holiday, while 12 have declined it.
Scotland’s World Cup journey will also take them to matches in Boston against Morocco and in Miami against Brazil during the group stage, but the June 15 holiday is reserved solely for the match following their initial game.
Here are the confirmed UK-wide bank holidays for 2026:
- Thursday, 1 January – New Year’s Day
- Friday, 3 April – Good Friday
- Monday, 6 April – Easter Monday
- Monday, 4 May – Early May Bank Holiday
- Monday, 25 May – Spring Bank Holiday
- Monday, 31 August – Summer Bank Holiday
- Friday, 25 December – Christmas Day
- Monday, 28 December – Boxing Day (substitute day)
Scottish-specific holidays for 2026 include:
- Monday, 15 June – World Cup Bank Holiday
- Monday, 3 August – Summer Bank Holiday
- Monday, 30 November – St Andrew’s Day
Northern Ireland’s holidays include:
- Tuesday, 17 March – St Patrick’s Day
- Monday, 13 July – Battle of the Boyne (substitute day)
This schedule gives everyone across the UK clarity on when their public holidays will fall throughout 2026, with Scotland enjoying the unique opportunity to celebrate their national football team’s return to the World Cup stage.