2026 World Cup: Controversial hydration breaks criticized by players, coaches and fans

 At BC Place Stadium in Vancouver yesterday, Canada defeated Qatar 6-0 for its first-ever World Cup victory. However, 22 minutes into the match, the enthusiastic Canadian crowd began booing the referee. The reason for the fans' dissatisfaction was not their team's performance or result, but the hydration break introduced after the 30th minute of the match. This new three-minute break between halves, which is intended to meet players' hydration needs, is causing huge controversy in this tournament. FIFA introduced the idea last December, stating that three-minute breaks would be mandatory "irrespective of where matches are played, regardless of whether the stadium is covered or not, and regardless of the temperatures." However, implementing this solution in practice, ignoring the context in which it is used, led to confusion and criticism from fans, coaches and players themselves. France coach Didier Deschamps said the breaks "divide the halves of the match" in a way that could disrupt the rhythm of play. "It's almost four quarters, and before it was two halves. The players, and of course also the coaches, have to adapt to this, but it's a double adaptation," Deschamps said. There are situations where hydration breaks make sense. Players received them in hot, open stadiums, such as in Boston and Kansas City, where temperatures reached 32 degrees Celsius during the match, as was the case in the Belgium-Egypt match. However, most World Cup matches are now played in air-conditioned stadiums, and these breaks are mandatory regardless of the conditions. Spain coach Luis de la Fuente admitted as much before his team's match against the Green Islands in Atlanta, saying that hydration breaks were helpful in the extreme heat but were not necessary in the cool stadium. This inconsistency was also noticed by the captain of the Dutch national team, Virgil van Dijk, after the draw with Japan. He also drew attention to another factor - advertising. The additional break gives FIFA's advertising partners an additional opportunity to display ads. "Hydration breaks are quite interesting because of course I have watched almost all the matches until today and every time there are breaks in a match it is not very nice for me. I think for neutral spectators it is not very good either. If it is really hot, then of course it is good to introduce such breaks. But I think that in each match it should be considered separately, in my opinion. But I think I have already said enough on this subject," Van Dijk added. Fox, the American broadcaster with the rights to broadcast the World Cup in England, makes a lot of money from advertising shown during hydration breaks. During the opening match between Mexico and South Africa, the television station was late returning to coverage due to a hydration break. Telemundo, which owns the rights to the Spanish broadcast, announced that it would not show advertising during these breaks, prompting many fans to choose the station as a more friendly one. Trying to make the most of hydration breaks, teamsbegan using them to discuss tactics. U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino introduced the practice in pre-tournament friendlies, gaining popularity on social media with photos of players gathered around his laptop during these short breaks. Before the Norway-Iraq match, Norwegian coach Ståle Solbakken said that cooling breaks at their camp in Greensboro, North Carolina made sense, but not necessarily during the matches themselves. "I'm not a fan of them. I can understand when it's like it was in Greensboro, when it's 35 degrees in the shade and a very hot climate, it might make sense. But in other situations, I don't really understand it. And I don't like it. But now we have to use it in the game and we have to use it well," Solbakken said. He also pointed out that this affects decisions regarding lineup changes: Typically, coaches make changes in the second half of the match between the 60th and 70th minutes, whereas the hydration break in the second half starts only in the 67th minute. And in the context of other changes introduced by FIFA, such as longer breaks for substitutions, it makes no sense at all. "Everything that is introduced makes sense and is intended to speed up the game. But these other things slow down the game, so it contradicts itself," Solbakken added. Football is already a sport in which the momentum changes very quickly, and introducing hydration breaks in general kills the momentum, although it gives a short opportunity to regenerate. Unfortunately, teams have to accept this new element and adapt to it. After losing the match against Ghana in Toronto, where the temperature was around 20 degrees, Panama coach Thomas Christiansen stated that rehydration breaks could be used for "corrections" but they could no longer fight against the bigger system. “The weather conditions were good, it wasn't hot, but we have to accept that... everything that is advertised on TV, it all pays for (it) is a system and we have to accept that,” Christiansen said. --- ## Related Articles 1. [World Cup 2026](https://azkalsgoal.com/fil/news/world-cup-2026-iran-at-egipto-nagkakontra-sa-fifa-dahil-sa-pride-match-at-selebrasyon-sa-seattle) 2. [Julen Lopetegui Showcases Sevillian Spirit at World Cup](https://pitchpulsemedia.com/en/news/julen-lopetegui-showcases-sevillian-spirit-at-world-cup)