Scotland could be given a national bank holiday to mark the men’s football team playing at a World Cup for the first time since 1998, under plans unveiled by First Minister John Swinney. He has written to the Privy Council proposing that Monday 15 June be designated a bank holiday, the day after Scotland’s opening match against Haiti in Boston, which kicks off at 2am UK time on Sunday 14 June.
Mr Swinney said 2026 is “shaping up to be a very exciting year” for Scotland, highlighting both the team’s qualification for the FIFA World Cup and the return of the Commonwealth Games to Glasgow. Framing the decision as a chance for the country to pause and celebrate, he predicted “the whole nation will come to a standstill in June” and joked that the excitement would grow “once we’ve seen off Brazil and progressed to the knockout stages”.
The first minister argued that the bank holiday would be more than a feelgood gesture, suggesting it could help promote Scotland on the world stage. He said the occasion would give supporters the chance to watch the men’s team in their first World Cup match for almost 30 years while also attracting business development, tourism and hospitality interest, and “deep and lasting cultural and sporting connections”.
The proposal still requires formal approval and would only be confirmed once it is rubberstamped by the King. Mr Swinney cast the move as part of a wider effort to capitalise on major events in 2026, positioning Scotland as a confident, outward‑looking nation with ambitions for greater international engagement.
Swinney unveiled the bank holiday plan during a New Year election pitch to voters in Glasgow, using the speech to argue that the SNP will “offer Scotland hope for a better future” ahead of the Holyrood election in May. He painted a bleak picture of the UK economy, saying living standards are “flat as a pancake”, too many people are living in poverty and struggling to make ends meet, and energy costs in “energy‑rich Scotland” are “scandalously high”.
He accused the UK of “lurching further and further to the right” and condemned political language around immigration and asylum as “nothing short of disgraceful”. Swinney reiterated that the SNP sees independence as the best way to support the NHS, cut energy bills and make daily life more affordable, arguing that Scotland needs a referendum recognised by the international community and pointing to the 2011 majority as a model for securing another vote in 2026.
While stressing that independence is central to his vision, Mr Swinney has yet to set out a detailed route map for achieving it if the UK government continues to block a second referendum. He acknowledged that winning such a mandate is an “ambitious task” but urged voters to see 2026 as a year to “rightly celebrate all that we are – but also imagine what we could be”.
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Swinney also used the speech to address international issues, saying he was “deeply concerned” about a recent US raid on Venezuela. He urged Scotland to respond to global events in a way that reflects its values, linking his comments on foreign policy to his broader narrative of building a fairer, more outward‑looking independent country.
Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar, addressing supporters on the same morning, said the SNP had “had their chance” but “blew it” and accused both the SNP and Reform UK of playing the “politics of fear and blame”. He said he wanted to “build something better” in Scotland, warning that when people feel ignored and services fail, it creates space for those who “want to divide us”
Later, Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay set out a pitch centred on the cost‑of‑living crisis, pledging to raise income tax thresholds and accusing the SNP and Labour of relying on “stealth taxes” through frozen bands. He said 2026 would be “the cost of living election”, promising a “new era of hope” focused on bringing down bills, growing the economy, reducing NHS waiting lists and improving schools, while warning that Scotland “cannot afford to continue to park more people on benefits street.”
