With less than a month to go before the World Cup kicks off in Brazil, football fans are limbering up for a summer of Latin football.

A lucky few are jetting off to South America but most will be watching on television.

So is international football a good chance for colleagues to bond and enjoy friendly rivalry?

Or is it a distraction from work with employees turning up bleary-eyed after staying up into the early hours to catch the action.

Business editor Finn Scott-Delany spoke to businesspeople about their thoughts on work and the beautiful game.

Robin Churchill, partner at Mayo Wynne Baxter, said: "Every team, whether it be a team of footballers or a team of lawyers, needs to bond. Teams bond by sharing experiences. 

"The experiences don’t necessarily have to be positive ones, though of course it is better if they are. World-wide events like the World Cup that impact most people, provide ideal opportunities for people to share experiences. 

"The England team may be doing well, in which case, we all feed off the positivity. If the England team are performing badly, we ‘enjoy’ a communal moan – and with the England team, we know that some heartbreak is inevitable. 

"So, with the World Cup, it’s not the feel-good factor alone that brings benefit to the workplace, but the opportunity to share experiences with work colleagues."

Jon Dudley, marketing director at Nutshell Construction, said: "The World Cup is a great opportunity to boost morale and bring everyone in the team together from different nations – we have many staff working with us from across the globe.

"Sadly our workforce out on the building sites won’t be able to hear or watch all of the matches unless they have time off, as we don’t allow radios on any of our sites, to keep disruption to a minimum.

"But if England goes through, everyone will get time off to watch the big match and we’ll certainly have a party."

Andy Parsons, managing director and founder at Yelo Architects, said: "At Yelo, we’ll certainly be embracing the World Cup and ensuring everyone gets the chance to watch the big matches together, when they fall into the working day.

"It’s a great event and great fun to watch within a group. In fact big sporting events like the World Cup really help build relationships and supports the team working approach we follow within our architectural practice.

"There’ll be some flexible working options and we’re all looking forward to the big games in our office.

"We can always head off for a long beach front walk to deal with any big disappointments."

Nicholas Hallam, chief executive of Accordance, said: "Accordance is an international company – over 15 languages are spoken in the office – so, for us, the World Cup is a great time for patriotism and banter; I don’t think it drains productivity at all.

"The only downside is that I expect to be mocked brutally by our Spanish or German guys when England crash out on penalties."

John Berry, director of TimelessTime, said: "In as much as the World Cup is an excuse for managers to talk to their folk, it can be a useful event.

"With matches on at unusual times, it is also an opportunity for negotiations about flexibility to enable viewing and, hence, an opportunity to deepen the social exchange between boss and workers.

"If, however, there is little social exchange in the firm anyway and the employment contract is enforced rigidly, there’s plenty of scope for absenteeism and tiredness in staff and hence there is most certainly scope for reduced productivity."

Nigel Ayres, Founder and CEO, World of Expats, said: "Whenever a global event like the World Cup is on, attention focuses on that location.

"London has seen an increase in its profile since the Olympics and Jubilee in 2012 and Rio is likely to see a similar boost.

"The economy in Brazil is currently faltering from its recent high growth and so a boost would be welcome.

"As Brits watch the World Cup, they are likely to dream of travelling to Brazil, but the reality away from the glamorous parts is not enticing.

"Brazil will be a distraction only as long as England progress and few are likely to followthrough on their dreaming."