Washington, D.C., June 22, 2026 — The 2026 FIFA World Cup has officially come to North America, and the massive influx of international fans affects the daily commutes of federal workers commuting in eleven host cities across the United States. Because local transit networks are expected to be stretched to their absolute limits, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) recently issued a memo reminding federal agencies that they have the authority to temporarily lift certain telework restrictions. Cities like Atlanta, Los Angeles, and Dallas, among others, will host a total of 78 matches.
For federal workers, OPM’s memo means that if your office is located near one of the World Cup venues, your agency can allow you to work from home on a situational or unscheduled basis. The new guidance also notes that management can approve requests to shift your alternative work schedule day off or use accrued annual leave to avoid the worst of the match day gridlock.
The memo lays out three workforce flexibilities available to agencies:
- Situational/unscheduled telework, which allows for telework on a case-by-case basis.
- Alternative work schedule (AWS) day off, which lets workers with an AWS arrangement request a FIFA match day as their day off.
- Annual leave, which allows agencies to approve use of annual leave if an employee needs it to avoid commuting disruptions on a match day.
“This memo is a welcome relief, but telework is still a discretionary tool,” says federal employment attorney Justin Schnitzer. “Agencies are operating under strict return-to-office mandates, and any request to work remotely during the tournament must be explicitly approved by management and meet a compelling agency need.”
This temporary flexibility matters because return-to-office mandates have drastically reduced routine telework in the federal workforce. Temporary relief from these mandates could prevent extra commuting time for workers and protect them from being unfairly penalized for late arrival times.