Overview
- FIFA has enforced mandatory three-minute hydration breaks at the 22nd and 67th minutes of every 2026 World Cup match, and president Gianni Infantino defended the policy in remarks on Wednesday as a sporting, not a financial, decision.
- Broadcasters including Fox have cut to paid commercials during the fixed pauses, and industry estimates cited in coverage put U.S. ad revenue from those slots in the hundreds of millions of dollars.
- Coaches have used the enforced pauses for tactical work during games, with Mauricio Pochettino famously using a laptop in a pre-tournament match and managers saying the breaks allow in-game adjustments that alter momentum.
- Operational problems have emerged when mandated breaks followed injury stoppages, as in England v Ghana, prompting boos from crowds and wide reports of fans using the pauses for fast concessions or beer runs.
- FIFA says the breaks are meant to protect players in variable North American climates and to ensure equal conditions; the policy was trialed in 2025 and FIFA plans to evaluate the experiment after the tournament before deciding its future.