Scott Russell laughs when asked if he is worried about contributing to a Canadian economic downturn when the FIFA World Cup kicks off on June 12.

Russell is the host of CBC's coverage of the FIFA World Cup in Brazil. Given that kick off times will begin in the early afternoon and run upwards of 10 hours a day, Canada's workforce could be seeing more of Russell than their bosses if people dart out to their favourite pubs to watch a game, or become engrossed in the network's deep online coverage.

"It's summertime, and it's FIFA World Cup time, and what is more productive than celebrating a wonderful culture that exists in this country and all the diversity we will learn about surrounding the football matches that will take place," said Russell, with a laugh.

As part of CBC's exhaustive broadcast plans – every game will be broadcast, with some being shown on Rogers Sportsnet if kick offs coincide – online viewers will be given never-before control over replays and camera angles. It's the kind of feature, all free, that might make a few blow off work for a few hours.

Watch the video above to learn more.