Every couple of years, a major international tournament comes around and football has a funny way of taking over everything.

Calendars revolve around kick-off times. Pubs are impossible to get into. And somehow, every England fan convinces themselves that this might finally be our year.

At MadeByShape, we're no different.

As a web design and branding agency in Manchester, we spend most of our days building websites, creating brands and helping businesses grow online. But when England are playing in a major tournament? Let’s just say, we like to get involved.

With England through to the Round of 16 at the 2026 FIFA World Cup after beating DR Congo on 1st July, we've got another huge game coming up. But there’s a catch! Kick-off against Mexico is at 1am UK time 😬. On a school night??!

It’s not exactly ideal, but we’re not exactly complaining (anymore) because the whole MadeByShape team has been given the Monday off 👏🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿.

After a 1am World Cup knockout match, expecting everyone to be bright-eyed and bushy-tailed a few hours later felt a little optimistic.

We'll explain in this article why our founder Andy made the call and why we think more businesses should show a bit of flexibility when moments like these come around.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is unlike any tournament we've seen before.

For the first time in its 96-year history, the competition is being jointly hosted by Canada, Mexico and the United States, making it the largest World Cup ever staged.

It's also the first tournament to feature 48 nations, expanding from the traditional 32 teams and creating more matches, more drama and more opportunities for upsets.

The tournament began on 11th June and will finish with the final in East Rutherford, New Jersey on 19th July. (Fingers crossed England make it this far 🤞)

Of course, for us watching from the UK, there's one slight downside.

Time zones 🫣.

Some matches have been kind enough to kick off in the evening, but others require a serious commitment. Sensible bedtimes have gone completely out of the window.

Still...

It's the World Cup.

You've got to do what you've got to do.

Why everyone at MadeByShape has Monday off for England v Mexico

England's match against Mexico kicks off at 1am on Monday morning. Watching England is one thing. Turning up to work a few hours later after little (or no) sleep and expecting everyone to be firing on all cylinders is another 😴.

Thankfully, our founder Andy had a solution that the whole team could get behind. Rather than expecting the team to struggle through the day, he's given all staff Monday off to watch England.

As Andy put it:

"Some will have hangovers, so why not just let them enjoy the night and not worry about working on the Monday?"

When we shared the news, LADbible reached out to ask why he'd decided to do it, which made us realise it isn't something every business is offering this World Cup.

For Andy, though, it wasn't really a difficult decision.

World Cups don't come around very often. England reaching the knockout stages is one of those occasions where friends and families can get together. The pubs are packed, the vibes are there, WhatsApp groups are full of predictions and, for a few weeks, the whole country is talking about the same thing.

These are the moments people remember.

As a team, this is something we really appreciate. For many businesses, it's easy to say ‘people come first’, but little gestures like this actively show they mean it.

You can only imagine the reaction in our work group chat when Andy broke the news. It was GIF after GIF after GIF. Safe to say, we were all absolutely buzzing 🤣.

Instead of worrying about our alarms going off a couple of hours after full-time, we can properly enjoy the occasion, knowing we've got the time to recover afterwards.

Of course, this flexibility comes with trust and as a team, we know and respect that.

Andy has always been clear that our clients come first.

And it's not just the football fans who benefit.

That's what we like about the approach. Nobody misses out, everyone gets a day to recharge, and the business carries on because everyone pulls together both before and afterwards.

It's a simple approach that sums up our MadeByShape company culture pretty well.

👉 Work hard.

👉 Look after your clients.

👉 Then enjoy the moments that don't come around every day.

If this all sounds familiar, that's because we've done something similar before. During the Euros in 2024, England reached the semi-finals.

After a few pints while watching the match, content writer – Kerry decided to be brave and chance her luck. She messaged Andy with what she thought would definitely be rejected. Worth a try, right? 😂

"If we get through tonight, can we have Monday off so we can watch the final on Sunday?"

His response? "Yeah... but only if England win tonight."

Well… England won. The team got Monday off for the England euros final. But sadly, England didn't quite bring the trophy home.

But at least nobody had to sit at their desk hungover pretending they weren't devastated after another final defeat. Sometimes you just need a day to recover.

England's route to glory... on paper

FIFA introduced a Wimbledon-style seeding system for this year's tournament, meaning the Three Lions cannot face either Spain or Argentina until the semi-finals, while France would only be a possible opponent in the final.

That sounds like good news … on paper. But as every England fan already knows, there are no easy routes at a World Cup.

Here's what's ahead if England keep progressing:

• Round of 16 – Mexico, Monday 6th July, Mexico City (1am UK)

• Quarter-final – Brazil or Norway, Saturday 11th July, Miami (10pm UK)

• Semi-final – Argentina, Cape Verde, Australia, Egypt, Switzerland, Algeria, Colombia or Ghana, Wednesday 15th July, Atlanta (8pm UK)

• Final – Potentially France, Spain, Portugal, Morocco, Belgium, Croatia or USA, Sunday 19th July, New Jersey (8pm UK)

Every tournament starts the same way. England fans tell themselves not to get carried away. Then after maybe one good performance… We're all quietly checking possible routes to the final. There are plenty of reasons to be optimistic.

Thomas Tuchel has built an experienced squad that came through qualification with eight wins from eight and without conceding a single goal. He's assembled a team designed around balance rather than simply picking the biggest names, and his focus on intensity, pressing and defined tactical roles has given England a clear identity.

Harry Kane arrives in sensational goalscoring form after the most prolific club season of his career, while Jude Bellingham, Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka continue to provide quality throughout the spine of the team. John Stones remains one of the tournament's most composed defenders, and emerging talent like Elliot Anderson has added fresh energy to the midfield.

Of course, there are still questions.

• Can England cope with the North American heat?

• Can they stay fit?

• Can they finally overcome the pressure that has haunted previous generations?

And then there's the competition.

France look seriously strong with Kylian Mbappé leading the line. Spain continue to impress with one of Europe's brightest young squads, Brazil are, well... Brazil. They may not have lifted the trophy since 2002, but writing them off isn’t an option at the minute.

As for us...

We'll always back England. That said, we've had enough heartbreak over the years to know better than to get carried away. But hope is part of supporting the Three Lions isn’t it? 😂

One of the best things about major tournaments is how they bring people together.

Whether you're watching from the pub, your sofa, or staying awake until the early hours with a takeaway, everyone is sharing the same moments.

At MadeByShape, we think businesses can embrace that too.

One extra day away from your desk isn't going to define a business, but creating a workplace where people genuinely enjoy working, might. Small employee benefits and a flexible working culture can make a big difference to morale, and that's something MadeByShape believes in.

A little bit about us

For anyone who doesn't know us, MadeByShape is a web design and branding agency based in Manchester.

Most of the time, we're designing websites, building brands, improving SEO and helping businesses look better online. But we're also a team of actual people who care about the little things – good work, good clients, a good laugh and, apparently, late-night England games.

Over the years, we've partnered with businesses of all sizes, from ambitious start-ups to well-known brands, including Sacha Lord and former England defender Gary Neville. Because many of our clients are based outside of Manchester (and even outside the UK), the majority of our day-to-day communication happens online rather than in face-to-face meetings.

Everything we do is carefully planned and managed through our project management system, Monday.com, so clients are always kept in the loop. If the team are taking a day like this, our clients know in advance, deadlines are organised accordingly and projects continue to run smoothly.

That's why giving everyone the day off isn't as disruptive as it might sound.

So while this blog is obviously about football, it's also about the way we work.

As a team, we’re trusted, we look after our clients, and when moments like this come around, Andy and Jason think it's worth making space for them.