The World Cup could make you lose 275 hours of sleep – 5 tips for better sleep after late night matches
How to enjoy the late night World Cup games and still get a good night’s sleep
Staying up to watch the World Cup? According to sleep experts, you could be losing 275 hours of sleep due to the late night games – but here’s how to still get a good night’s sleep while the football is on.
The FIFA World Cup 2026 started on the 11th June, and as the games will be played in Mexico, the US and Canada, that puts UK football fans on a bit of a weird schedule. For the UK, the majority of games will be played in the evening and early morning, and if you’re dedicated to watching all the matches, this will massively impact your sleep for the month that the World Cup is on.
With this in mind, Hillarys did some calculations and found that football fans could lose up to 275 hours of sleep while the competition is on, due to 53 out of 104 matches kicking off after 11pm BST. Hillarys has also launched its free World Cup Sleep Calculator which calculates the amount of sleep you’ll lose based on the games you watch.
But fear not – Hillarys’ sleep scientist, Tom Coleman has shared his five expert tips on how to sleep better during the World Cup.
5 tips to get a good night’s sleep after watching the World Cup
1. Try the split-sleep strategy
Coleman’s number one tip for getting a good night’s sleep without missing the World Cup action is to split your sleep. “Consider going to bed at your normal time, waking for the match, then returning to sleep afterwards,” he says. “It's not as efficient as one uninterrupted block, but it's far better than staying awake for 20 hours straight and crashing later.”
The split-sleep strategy works due to the different sleep stages that make up your sleep cycle. The deepest, most restorative sleep tends to take place in the first half of the night, so you should be getting a good amount of rest and recovery time before your World Cup alarm goes off.
2. Control your lighting
Sitting in front of a bright, flashing TV isn’t great for your sleep, due to the blue light the screen emits. So, when you go to turn in after a game, you’ll likely find yourself lying awake, feeling wired. But that’s where strategic control of your lighting comes in.
After the match ends, Coleman suggests shifting into low, warm lighting. “This helps your brain ramp up melatonin production sooner, which shortens the time it takes to fall asleep… bright light is one of the strongest 'wake-up' signals your brain has, even when your body is exhausted. Dimming your environment is one of the fastest ways to help it downshift into sleep mode”, says Coleman.
3. Keep your bedroom cold and dark
Not only are you dealing with late night games, but the World Cup also takes place in summer where the higher temperatures already negatively affect your sleep. As Coleman explains, the “temperature is the second most important sleep signal after light, as the body needs to drop its core temperature to initiate sleep and a warm room makes that harder. Ventilation, a fan, and blackout curtains create an ideal recovery environment your body needs after a disrupted night.”
4. Limit your alcohol intake
Whether you’re watching the World Cup or not, alcohol has a huge impact on your sleep. Alcohol may act as a sedative but it disrupts your sleep quality, particularly your REM sleep which is essential for mental and emotional recovery. So, try to limit how much alcohol you drink while watching the football so you can sleep comfortably, and wake up feeling well-rested.
5. Schedule recovery sleep
If you’re a diehard football fan, chances are you’ll be up for every single game, so it’s important to schedule some recovery sleep – and actually make sure you stick to it. For example, Coleman recommends “if a match ends at 4am on a Sunday, block Sunday morning in your calendar, put your phone on ‘do not disturb’ and make sure anyone else in the house knows not to wake you.”
