Czech Republic flag

Czech Republic

The Czech Republic have qualified for the Men’s World Cup finals twice, in 2006 and 2026.

The Czech Republic were eliminated in the group stage in 2006.

Czechoslovakia reached the Men’s World Cup final in 1934.

Czechoslovakia reached the Men’s World Cup final again in 1962.

Contributing firm

ROWAN LEGAL

Contacts

Josef Donát, Romana Szutanyi

Workplace Q&A

1 What actions may an employer take if:

a) an employee is absent from work without authorisation because they were watching the World Cup?

Pay can be withheld for the missed hours/days. The employer can require an explanation, record the absence as unauthorised, and apply disciplinary steps – warning, and if repeated or sufficiently serious, termination.

b) an employee submits a suspicious medical certificate or other rationale to justify a work absence where the employer suspects the employee is watching or attending the World Cup?

The employer may request clarification of the absence justification, and if it concerns sickness absence and there is suspicion of abuse, initiate the standard control process to verify compliance with the sickness regime. If falsification is suspected, the employer can treat it as serious misconduct and consider termination, and it may also amount to a criminal offence.

c) the employer suspects an employee(s) of consuming alcohol at the workplace or within a proximate time before starting work; can an employer administer breathalysers in the workplace?

If there is a reasonable suspicion, the employer may require an alcohol test and may prevent the employee from working if they are under the influence or refuse to cooperate. A positive result (or refusal), especially where it creates a serious safety risk or repeats despite prior warnings, may justify disciplinary action up to and including immediate termination.

d) the employer wishes to rearrange the work hours for all employees to accommodate the viewing of particular matches, e.g. their country’s team?

Yes. The employer can reschedule working hours/shifts to accommodate matches, as long as statutory limits are respected and employees are informed in advance or give their consent (if necessary according to the employment agreements).

e) the employer suspects that employees are using company IT systems during work hours to watch matches (including the use of illegal streaming services) and/or to participate in gambling related to the World Cup (including illegal gambling)?

Misuse of company IT to watch matches or gamble during working time can lead to loss of pay for time not worked and termination in serious or repeated cases (including possible immediate termination where the breach is particularly severe).

f) an employee potentially misconducts themselves outside of working time either at a staff-organised World Cup event or an unorganised event?

If the incident is purely private, the employer will generally have no basis to discipline the employee. If the conflict arose at an employer-organised event, for example one attended by clients where the employee was acting as a representative of the employer, the employer could consider taking disciplinary action against the employee. In the most serious cases, this could extend to termination of employment.

2 If a country declares a national holiday on the day the country’s team plays (or later for a celebration), are employees who work on those days entitled to overtime pay or time off in lieu etc?

If the day is an official public holiday under Czech law, employees who work that day are entitled to their normal pay for the work and, as the default, paid time off in lieu for the hours worked on the holiday. If time off in lieu is not provided, the employer can compensate instead by paying an additional holiday premium. However, in practice, there is a small probability that this will happen.

3 Is it lawful for a company’s employees to conduct office pools at the workplace? Would there be any restrictions on the amount of money to enter or the amount of compensation awarded?

In practice, a small, informal office pool among employees is generally OK as long as it stays low-key and voluntary. To keep it safe, avoid having the company “run” it.

4 May employers prohibit public displays of rival country team colours in the workplace?

Yes, an employer may impose a neutral dress code rule. However, banning only a specific rival team’s colours (while allowing others) is from our perspective risky and could be challenged as unequal treatment and potentially discriminatory, unless the employer can show a strong, objective, work-related justification and apply it consistently.

5 Could an employer be subject to a discrimination claim if accommodations are given in respect of watching games played by one gender but not the other, or for watching certain nations’ games (e.g. home nation) but not others?

It very much depends on how the accommodation is framed and applied. If the employer uses a neutral, objective rule (e.g., flexibility available to anyone subject to operational needs), the discrimination risk is usually low. The risk increases if the employer explicitly ties the benefit to men’s matches (but not women’s) or to selected nations’ games (but not others), because that can look like unequal treatment linked to protected characteristics — especially if employees are practically disadvantaged by the selective approach.

6 Any other advice you would give to employers in your jurisdiction ahead of the World Cup?

Set one clear, written “World Cup” approach in advance: how to request time off, whether shift swaps/flex starts are allowed, and what happens with unauthorised absence. Remind employees of alcohol rules and expected conduct at work, and set simple ground rules for any viewing at the workplace (only during breaks, volume, customer-facing areas). Reconfirm IT rules (no streaming/gambling on company systems, security/compliance escalation for illegal activity). Finally, apply the same rules consistently to avoid grievances and equal-treatment issues.