Christmas parties in June? World Cup defenders on LinkedIn? -

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June 19, 2026

Christmas parties in June? World Cup defenders on LinkedIn?

As many of us swelter and watch the football and dream of holidays, some are planning Christmas parties. Meanwhile, a new World Cup hero is hailed, thanks to LinkedIn

LinkedIn is a bit like a Facebook for business. Some use it to genuinely network; others to find work. Some use it … well, just to show off. But for Irish-born Roberto Lopes, a footballer for Ireland’s Shamrock Rovers club, LinkedIn was the medium for him to become a legend of the beautiful game.

The defender, nicknamed Pico, was a newly qualified mortgage adviser 10 years ago, playing part-time for Bohemians in the League of Ireland.

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When he was originally contacted in 2018 by Cape Verde football manager Rui Águas in Portuguese, he did what many of us do with unsolicited messages on the platform – he ignored it, thinking it was spam.

It was only when he received a follow-up message from Águas in ‌English that he realised it was an offer to play international football for Cape Verde. Águas had spotted he was eligible to play for the island nation through his father.

Águas wrote: “Hi Roberto, have you had a chance to consider what I said to you?”.

Lopes, now feeling a bit rude about ignoring the original message, put Águas’s words into Google Translate and found it said: “We’re looking at getting new players into the Cape Verde squad and would you be interested in declaring for Cape Verde?”

Cape Verde’s draw with tournament favourites Spain on Monday – one of the biggest shocks of any World Cup as measured by the difference in rankings between the sides – has elevated Lopes to star status, particularly as the team achieved the incredible result while only committing one foul, a new record in the World Cup finals.

The story sent several in the Personnel Today office to check their spam and mentally clean their football boots. But alas, the talent spotters have failed to do their job properly, once again.

June is the new November for HR party-planning

A further extreme heatwave beckons, the World Cup is in full flow, the cricket’s on and Wimbledon is about to start. HR is on the alert for absences, productivity lapses and inappropriate banter.

Yet, amid this hot mess, Personnel Today has been alerted that HR should be planning Christmas parties.

According to event booking platform Tagvenue, HR teams are “moving to secure spaces six months in advance” and the Christmas party planning window is moving earlier than ever before, making June and July the new autumn when it comes to festive party planning.

HR teams are increasingly starting the process in June because they know the best venues and dates disappear quickly – Artur Stepaniak, Tagvenue

Such a level of forward-thinking seems wildly inappropriate as air conditioning systems teeter on the edge of collapse, the colleague sent out to buy ice lollies has failed to return and the cluster of lads outside the pub clutching lagers exponentially expands.

There are statistics too – this is no baseless claim. Apparently, 12% of Christmas venue hire activity is taking place in June – marking a 75% increase compared with June 2022. “Hmmm…. 12%? It’s not exactly a rush,” Personnel Today’s resident party planner exclaimed.

Artur Stepaniak, co-founder at Tagvenue, is serious, however, although we are definitely not. He says: “What we’re seeing is a clear shift in how organisations approach their end-of-year celebrations. Christmas parties used to be something many companies thought about in September or October. Now, HR teams are increasingly starting the process in June because they know the best venues and dates disappear quickly.”

As the temperature reaches 30°C, I wonder if the Cape Verde team has its Christmas party planned.