FIFA announces new match rule for the 2026 World Cup

December 10, 2025 Oliver Obel

FIFA says that every game at the 2026 World Cup will now include a three-minute hydration break in each half. Referees will stop play at roughly the 22-minute mark regardless of temperature, stadium conditions or whether the venue is climate-controlled.

The new rule formalizes a trend that emerged during this year’s Club World Cup in the United States, where heat and humidity prompted officials to lower thresholds for cooling breaks and increase water access around the pitch. According to The Guardian, the updated standard replaces an older protocol activated only when the wet-bulb globe temperature reached 32°C a threshold originally set after concerns were raised during the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

Sports-science consultants who have advised FIFA say predictable stoppages allow medical teams to plan hydration strategies more effectively. But some coaches privately acknowledge they are unsure how the pauses will affect match rhythm, momentum and tactical adjustments. Several national associations are expected to test the stoppages during spring friendlies to prepare for the shift.

Reactions: from tactical concern to commercial suspicion

The announcement quickly drew commentary from journalists and former players. Writing on X, The Times chief football writer Henry Winter argued that the change alters football’s fundamental rhythm:

“A game of two halves becomes a game of four quarters. Fifa's 3-minute hydration breaks at all World Cup games help players in the heat, happen increasingly anyway with teams' tactical time-outs, are familiar to US audiences and are meat and (carbonated) drink for TV advertisers.”

Winter’s post captured a common concern: that the fixed breaks resemble the quartered structure of American sports such as the NFL and NBA formats designed around frequent pauses and advertising windows.

Former U.S. international and ESPN analyst Herculez Gomez echoed the fear, but more sharply. In a post reacting to the rule, he wrote:

“‘Hydration Breaks will be imposed in all matches, regardless of weather conditions.’ .. AKA Commercial Breaks. FIFA is using ‘safety’ measures to surely get away with airing advertisements in the middle of every game.

The Game Is Gone.”

His comments resonated with supporters already worried about what they see as an increasing U.S.-style entertainment layer being built around global tournaments.

Broader concerns about football’s changing identity

The debate fits into a wider conversation about the sport’s evolving presentation. Fans across Europe have expressed discomfort with elaborate light shows, extended interval programming and branding-heavy pre-match ceremonies at recent FIFA events. Some supporters’ groups argue that these additions shift football from a continuous-flow sport toward a packaged entertainment product shaped by commercial priorities.

Still, others note that water breaks have appeared in many domestic leagues for years, often informally. For them, the new World Cup rule simply brings structure to something that already happens and provides consistency for teams playing in varied climates.

What comes next

FIFA maintains that the rule is primarily a welfare measure and part of standardized match protocols for a global event spread across multiple environments. IFAB is expected to finalise operational guidance before the summer, and teams will be briefed on timing, equipment and any restrictions on tactical discussions during the breaks.

Whether the pauses fade into the background or become a central storyline of the 2026 World Cup will depend on how noticeable they feel in real matches and on what broadcasters choose to do with the extra space.

Sources: The Guardian; The Times; social media posts by Henry Winter and Herculez Gomez.