By Isabel Murray BBC reporter in Sao Paulo

On the days when Brazil's national football team is playing during the World Cup, federal government employees only have to start work at midday.

And since the matches take place when most Brazilians are usually still in bed, a number of employers are opening for business later than usual so their employees can watch.

Other companies are stopping work when Brazil has a game.

For previous World Cups in football-mad Brazil, businesses and banks would close shortly before the team walked onto the pitch, and the entire country would be glued to the TV for each game.

Civil servants: Time off to watch Ronaldo and co

With this World Cup being held in Korea and Japan, Brazil's first match - against Turkey - began Monday at 0600 local time in Brazil (0900 GMT).

At the General Motors factory in Greater Sao Paulo, management and employees reached an agreement that will allow everyone to watch the games.

The company has set up a huge screen, and during the matches, production is being halted to enable workers to cheer for the national squad.

And on those days that the Brazilian team has a game at 0330 local time in Brazil, employees will be allowed to clock in at 0800, two hours later than the normal start time of 0600.

Late rush hour

At the Sao Paulo underground transit network, the largest in the country, the administrative department is starting work at 1000.

Noon start for federal government workers on match days

The trains are sticking to the usual schedule, but they are pulling a reduced number of carriages.

The company believes that rush hour will start after 0800, once the matches are over.

But there can be no doubt that Federal Government workers will benefit the most from these match-day arrangements.

Their working day will only start at midday and will end at 1900, even though normal working hours are from 0800 to 0600.

The decision to allow employees to begin work later than usual was made by the Brazilian President's Civil Cabinet Office.

The government said the measure would benefit the population, given that on match days, traffic jams are commonplace.

Coffee, not beer

The bar and restaurant sector, which has always profited from the games, selling endless rounds of beer, is this year investing in breakfast with a World Cup theme.

Clients are drinking coffee while they watch the games on extra-large, high-definition screens.

Paulo, an executive who preferred not to give his surname, said before the World Cup began that he would be getting up early to watch the game at one of Sao Paulo's traditional bakeries.

When asked if he would wake up so early for work, he was very quick to reply: "No way".

Emergency services

But Brazilians can relax, safe in the knowledge that in case of an emergency there will be no problem.

For essential services it will be business as usual.

Twenty-four hour drugstores will remain open, as will supermarkets, street markets, municipal markets, banks and petrol stations.