A sign for the FIFA World Cup 2026 final draw is displayed outside the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, on December 4, 2025. (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)
With the World Cup to be held in the United States in the summer of 2026, players will be allowed hydration breaks during games.
Teams will be separated during breaks during the 2026 World Cup, during which broadcasters will be allowed to cut advertising, The Athletic reports. FIFA has decided to introduce a three-minute break midway through the first half during the World Cup to promote player welfare.
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FIFA introduces hydration breaks at 2026 World Cup
Due to the summer heat in the United States, all games will include hydration breaks.
As far as advertising is concerned, FIFA has set some ground rules. Broadcasters have been informed that an advertising break will not begin within 20 seconds of the referee calling for a hydration break. Additionally, the feed must return to the game at least 30 seconds before play resumes.
Also, broadcasters are not required to display advertisements during breaks. It was also possible to broadcast video and analyze matches from the studio.
Americanizing the 2026 World Cup
Sports in the United States are highly commercialized, and this move by FIFA will be very popular with companies sponsoring tournaments. This will help FIFA raise hundreds of millions of dollars during the World Cup.
“If you’re FIFA and you’re going to take a break like this, you’re doing some simple math: Is it more profitable for us to sell this at a premium to our (commercial) partners? Or is it more profitable for us to give it back to the broadcasters? And in this case, that makes sense,” Ricardo Fort, a former longtime sports sponsorship executive at Coca-Cola and Visa, told The Athletic.
“Broadcasters will make more money and pay more for such breaks.”
On the other hand, hydration breaks should contribute to players’ health and give them rest amid the high temperatures during the World Cup.
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