Overview
- FIFA introduced mandatory three-minute hydration breaks at the midpoint of each half for every match at the 2026 World Cup and those pauses remain enforced during the tournament.
- UEFA said Sunday it will not copy FIFA’s blanket rule for Euro 2028 and will keep its system that makes cooling breaks compulsory only when wet-bulb globe temperature thresholds are exceeded and otherwise leaves pauses to referee discretion.
- Broadcasters have monetized the enforced stoppages, with industry estimates putting Fox Sports’ ad revenue from hydration-break inventory at about $250 million in the United States alone.
- Coaches, players and fans have pushed back, citing disrupted match rhythm, visible boos in stadiums and tactical use of the pauses on the sideline; figures such as Marcelo Bielsa criticized the change and Keith Wyness urged FIFA to ban coaching during the breaks.
- The institutional split raises fresh pressure on FIFA to tighten rules on who may coach and what broadcasters may show during the pauses and creates a risk that commercial incentives will determine whether the breaks endure beyond this World Cup.