9th December 2025
December 9 – FIFA will include three-minute hydration breaks in each half of every World Cup match next summer regardless of the weather, in a move which essentially splits matches into four quarters akin to NBA and NFL games.
On paper it’s about player safety. In practice, it opens the door to something FIFA and its American broadcaster, FOX, have wanted for a long time: more opportunities to sell advertising space for hungry sponsors.
The idea was kicked around with coaches and broadcasters over the weekend, as the world gathered in Washington, D.C. for the draw. Broadcasters loved it. FIFA’s medical team supported it too, which gave the proposal a rubber stamp.
Previous World Cups also had cooling breaks but only when the temperature rose above a certain level.
This time around, it won’t matter if it’s an oven in Houston or a little chilly in Vancouver. The hydration breaks are happening in or around the 22-minute mark of both halves, guaranteed. “There will be no weather or temperature condition in place, with the breaks being called by the referee in all games, to ensure equal conditions for all teams, in all matches,” FIFA said in a late-night release.
Manolo Zubiria, FIFA’s chief tournament officer, spelled out the mechanics to broadcasters in Washington, D.C., saying the breaks would “be three minutes from whistle to whistle in both halves.” He added that if an injury stoppage overlaps with the scheduled pause, “this will be addressed on the spot with the referee.”
The clock won’t stop, but three minutes will be added to stoppage time at the end of each half. Hydration breaks will “allow broadcasters to air more mid-game commercials, if they wish.”
For FIFPRO and other player advocates, this isn’t quite the policy they asked for earlier in the summer.
It certainly opens football to more commercialisation. And if that wasn’t enough, TV partners were told to expect not one, not two, but three opening ceremonies across Mexico, Canada, and the United States. The World Cup is getting bigger, louder, and built for American TV.