The timing of the tournament is significant. Matches in Mexico, Canada and the United States are scheduled for 21:00, 22:00, midnight and as late as 02:00 in the United Kingdom.
That creates an obvious risk for next-day attendance, particularly when England plays on a weekday. The report says Birmingham remains among the areas most affected by primary-school absence, ranking 149th out of 151 local councils. The city has also set a strategy to improve attendance by 2028, making the World Cup an unwelcome test of progress.
Families have reportedly been urged to maintain normal routines and choose replays or highlights when fixtures finish deep into the night. The argument is practical: one missed day can disrupt a pupil’s learning and affect the rhythm of an entire class.
Some schools are attempting to make the tournament part of the school day. Summit Learning Trust, which runs primary, secondary and further-education institutions, is reportedly offering free breakfasts, stronger morning welcomes and space for pupils to discuss the matches before lessons begin.
The approach recognises that some children may watch until full time despite advice from families and schools. The priority then becomes getting them through the gates the following morning before returning to English, mathematics and the regular curriculum.
At Moat Farm Junior School in Oldbury, football is being used as an incentive. Classes can collect points through break-time activities, earn “kindness balls” for positive behaviour and receive bonuses for weekly attendance above 97%.
Daily class attendance contests add another competitive layer, with the winning group set to receive a football training session. The next test will be whether these measures keep pupils engaged through England’s weekday fixtures without allowing the tournament to weaken Birmingham’s wider attendance recovery.