The singular or plural verb for a collective noun in British English depends on the context — if you mean the team as a whole or the UN as a whole you would say the team is practicing or the UN is heaven incarnate. If you mean the team as referring to individuals, then the plural is used: the team are practising amongst themselves.
Thanks, and I am aware of that distinction of context. But over here, I have never heard anyone ever say - “The team are practicing” or the “UN are”
Don’t you have to admit that adherents to British English almost always use the plural verb form for collective nouns in general? I never heard anyone in England say “The team is.” It was so prevalent that it ‘jarred my ears’ - not in a negative way - just in a way to get my decided attention.