A strike by pilots of the French national airline, Air France, planned for Monday starts midnight, is expected to cause severe disruption and could affect travel arrangements for the World Cup.

Negotiations between unions and the state-owned company broke down last week after pilots refused to accept pay cuts.

Air France, which is the official World Cup airline, is expected to cancel most of its flights; but it has promised to ensure that all the teams taking part in the tournament arrive on time for their matches.