Is Your Job Making You Work this June?

SBS Launches the World Cup Watchers’ Rights Association to Stand Up For Australians’ Right to Watch Football During Work Hours.

As the 2026 FIFA World CupTM prepares to kick off in North America, Australians are facing a serious and strangely unusual problem – the vast majority of live matches will land in the middle of the working day.

To combat this, SBS has officially launched the World Cup Watchers’ Rights Association (WRA) and enlisted acclaimed comedian and actor, Nick Mohammed (Ted Lasso, Slow Horses, The Celebrity Traitors) to lead the initiative.

Joining Nick on his crusade to stand up for workers’ rights as WRA ambassadors are prominent Australian comedians, Matt Okine, Mel Buttle and John Cruckshank, and former Matildas’ goalkeeper and one of Australia’s most celebrated footballers, Lydia Williams. Check out the full video HERE.

As the national OG of football that has exclusively broadcast the World Cup in Australia since the 1980s, SBS believes that nothing should get in the way of fans cheering on their teams, not even work. The WRA is the embodiment of this belief: a national body dedicated to proudly advocating for fans’ rights to watch the world’s largest sporting event on work time.

Recent research commissioned by the WRA reveals just how vital this association is, with 3 in 4 Australians planning to watch the World Cup this June. The data proves that fans will go to extreme lengths:

● One-third (33%) have booked a meeting specifically to watch sport
● Almost 2 in 5 (38%) have watched sport while on a work call
● 1 in 5 (20%) have even muted a call so they could focus more on a game
● Most surprisingly (or worryingly!) – 1 in 10 Australians admit to having hidden under their desk to watch sport secretly

A whopping 71% of Australians agree that employers should simply let staff watch the World Cup while at work, and they have support from 53% of Aussie bosses, who say they will actively make arrangements to make this happen. The WRA is here to convert the rest.

Honorary Executive Chair of the WRA, Nick Mohammed, said: “Over the coming weeks, millions of Australians will be asked to do the unthinkable: work during the 2026 World Cup. I cannot legally tell you to watch football during work hours. My job is simply to look you in the eye and say: We see you. We see the last-minute “meetings”, the long bathroom breaks, the light from a phone under a desk. You are not alone. The Watchers’ Rights Association is here to stand up for your right to sit down and watch the beautiful game wherever you work.”

SBS Acting Director of Marketing and Audiences, Uma Oldham, said, “This World Cup is testing Australians in a completely new way, asking football fans to balance work with must-watch matches in the middle of the day. With more than 65% of live matches taking place during work hours, every match will kick off during someone’s shift. With replays, highlights and mini-matches available 24/7, SBS is inviting workplaces to embrace the FIFA World Cup madness rather than fight it, so all Australians can get behind their country. Because life’s too short to miss a tournament that only happens every four years.”

Workplaces and workers can officially join the WRA and start planning their World Cup viewing schedule by visiting the WRA official website, www.jointhewra.com.au. Remember, you can watch every game of the FIFA World Cup 2026™ exclusively on SBS, SBS VICELAND and SBS On Demand from June 12 – July 20 (AEST).

For a PDF of this media release, click here