Overview
- Arsène Wenger, FIFA’s chief of global football development, said on Saturday that the three‑minute breaks did not appear to change match results and that FIFA will perform a post‑tournament analysis before deciding whether to keep them.
- FIFA mandated two three‑minute hydration pauses in the middle of each half for all 104 World Cup matches, applying the rule uniformly regardless of local temperature or indoor stadium conditions.
- Coaches, players and fans split sharply: some supported the rule for hot venues while others said the pauses disrupted momentum and gave teams time for tactical resets.
- Industry estimates published during the tournament put incremental ad revenue tied to the scheduled pauses in the hundreds of millions of dollars for major broadcasters, with some coverage projecting up to roughly $1 billion globally.
- Separately, FIFA introduced a rule requiring treated players to leave the pitch for one minute and reports that medical interventions fell from 2.3 per match in 2022 to 1.6 in 2026, a change FIFA’s technical group has publicly praised.