New Delhi: In December last year, it is 2026 FIFA World Cup in the USA, Mexico and Canada six months later, FIFA announced a break in all sports. A similar break was started in 2014 and four years ago in Qatar where the temperature reached 30 degrees Celsius.“For every game, it doesn’t matter where the game is played, it doesn’t matter if there is a roof, (or) sensible heat, there will be three minutes of hydration break. It will be three minutes from the whistle to whistle in both phases,” said Manolo Zubiria, Chief Tournament Officer, USA, on the 2026 FIFA World Cup. As defined by FIFA, the rest should be taken if the outside temperature was 15 degrees or 35-40 degrees Celsius. After the first 24 matches, two matches were designated as ‘hottest’ according to the wet bulb index: Saudi Arabia vs Uruguay (in Miami) and Sweden vs Tunisia (in Monterrey). Other games that saw hot temperatures are: Germany vs Curacao (in Houston), Portugal vs Congo (in Houston), Netherlands vs Japan (in Dallas) and England vs Croatia (in Dallas).Now the players immediately stop playing in the 22nd minute in both divisions regardless of the weather, the stadium (with a roof or not). The referee blew the whistle and the players went to the side to drink water.Although it appears to be introduced as a measure of player safety, holes appear and the field is divided. USA coach Mauricio Pochettino said, “I don’t like it. I only like it when the conditions are difficult. But when the conditions are good, it’s not important.”England manager Thomas Tuchel is also not a fan. “I think it disrupts and changes the game of football more than I thought. “I had a break before when it was very hot and important, but it was less,” Tuchel said.“They were short and they were in only a few games. To be fair here, now it happens in every game of every team. It breaks the game in about four quarters. And I think it changes the quality of the game more than I thought.”
Uruguay head coach Marcelo Bielsa speaks to his players during a break during the World Cup Group H match against Saudi Arabia in Miami Gardens, Florida. (AP)
Uruguay’s Marcelo Bielsa adopted Tuchel’s attitude towards the game. This cultural change adds nothing and takes away a lot. I’ll just say that before this election, football had one quality, now it has another,” said Bielsa.“As a player, it can do two jobs,” Belgium’s Youri Tielemans said. “In other cities, it’s not as hot and maybe we shouldn’t be. But at the end of the day, if you’re doing it in other cities, you have to do it for everybody.”
A picture of the hydration relief being followed throughout the 2026 FIFA World Cup. (Photo by TimesofIndia.com)
French striker Kylian Mbappe did not participate. “Hydration breaks? Don’t ask us players what we think, we are very curious,” he said. “If tomorrow we dominate in the 25th minute and there is a break, we will be angry.”“Because it breaks our song, but if the weather is hot, or we are controlled, I will be happy.”Paraguay coach Gustavo Alfaro criticized FIFA for the intervention at half-time.“It’s a commercial break, not a hydration break,” he said. “The game is getting out of hand.”7hrs, 30 minutes, 40 seconds of more ad time
The halftime sign is shown during the World Cup Group F match between the Netherlands and Japan in Arlington, Texas. (AP)
During halftime, broadcasters are allowed to advertise 20 seconds after the whistle and must return 30 seconds before the restart.That’s four minutes and 20 seconds of advertising time per game or seven hours, 30 minutes and 40 seconds in a 104-game tournament.Fox Corporation, which is said to have paid nearly $500 million to broadcast the World Cup in the USA, violated these guidelines during the opening match between Mexico and South Africa.
The extent to which hydration takes place is more than a measure of a player’s health. (TimesofIndia.com illustration/NotebookLM)
Fox skipped their commercials by 40 seconds and missed going back to watch the video when the game started. However, the broadcaster avoided fines.The USA alone can account for over $250 million (Rs 2367.91 crore) in advertising revenue during the holiday season. Globally it could reach one billion dollars, experts say.
Spain head coach Luis de la Fuente speaks to the players during a break during the World Cup Group H match between Spain and Cape Verde in Atlanta. (AP)
In India, a 10-second commercial on Zee, the state broadcaster, is quoted at Rs 2.25 lakh to Rs 2.75 lakh. There are opportunities for pre-game, game play, half-time and hydration breaks.BBC Sport has reported that a 30-second ad spot on Fox Sports costs between $200,000 (Rs 1.89 crore) and $300,000 (Rs 2.84 crore). It could go up to $750,000 (Rs 7.10 crore) for the USA games and finals.Ads are shown around the world during the break. India, Mexico, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, China, Japan, Australia, Gulf Countries and sub-Saharan Africa, have all seen the ad.
The USA alone can account for over $250 million in advertising revenue during the holiday season. Worldwide it can reach one billion dollars
Professionals
Some advertisers have chosen not to turn to advertising. The BBC in the UK does not show commercials; Spanish-language broadcaster Telemundo and the UK’s ITV have also decided to reject the ad. However, ITV is also banned by national regulators.Fox Sports will try their method again. During the Mexico vs South Korea match, the broadcaster used visuals and commercials. Elsewhere, they will also display full-screen ads.Leaders use breaks to change direction
Vinicius Junior (7) of Brazil celebrates his goal against Morocco. (AP Photo)
Brazil trailed Morocco 1-0 after a good start. Six minutes after the hydration break, Vinicius Jr. Individual shrewdness, no doubt, but manager Carlo Ancelotti admitted afterwards that the break would allow him to adjust his approach.“You can explain the problem to the players,” said the Italian manager when asked how rest would benefit the team. “[You can] make smart changes that can be great. “Not just Brazil. Canada blew Bosnia-Herzegovina’s lead just before the break in a 1-1 draw. Scotland scored just before the break in a 1-0 win over Haiti. Australia opened the scoring just after the break in a 2-0 win over Turkey.
The game is affected by the 2026 World Cup due to the break. (Photo by TimesofIndia.com)
Unlike the halftime break, managers can use the break to reorganize and change strategies. What was a two-part game, has become a four-part game.According to Driblab company statistics, in the first 28 matches, or 56 breaks, 24 power changes were recorded after the restart. Four out of 10 stops resulted in a game changer. And in another 20 breaks, the team in control – like England against Croatia – began to faint after the first break. Spain, which was well kept by Cape Verde, was brought back after the second break.In total, 44 out of 56 breaks after 28 games – or 78.6% of the cases – interrupted the rise of the game due to the break.
France head coach Didier Deschamps talks to Kylian Mbappe (10) during a break during the World Cup match against Iraq in Philadelphia. (AP)
Indian defender Sandesh Jhingan, who plays for FC Goa in the Indian Super League, said that this should be done according to the circumstances and even then the changes should not be discussed.“There should be a rule that if the temperature is like this, then we will have a break but a short break. Then the players are not allowed to go out to fight and the tactics board comes out. This should not be allowed,” Jhingan, a Zee5 analyst, told TimesofIndia.com.“Maybe just come quickly the water trolley, like five yards in the field, not allowed to leave the line.So everyone sits there on the same side. Only water goes in, quick sip, boom, you go. I think that is the way forward. “He also said that three minutes was a long time for a game to be interrupted.“Three minutes in a football match is a lot of time. With 7 to 8 attacks can happen in three minutes.“The reason we love this game is because when you’re tired, when you’re really tired, your brain is really tired. Your heart rate is at 170-180. The game opens up because you make bad decisions. And that’s what makes people happy. Now you take that away.“After 22-23 minutes you have a three-minute break. You can prepare yourself again. Move the tactics. And again, you start playing. So you keep interrupting each other.”
