Hydration break boos: How FIFA united players, fans, coaches at World Cup
Key takeaways
- Criticism surrounding the breaks has been aimed at the commercial benefits for the three-minute pauses in action.
- When FIFA unveiled the rule in December, it was announced with a sense of finality.
- One week into the tournament, and it’s obvious that the players are not keen on the inaugural, compulsory, non-negotiable amendment.
Why this matters: an international story with cross-border implications worth tracking.
Criticism surrounding the breaks has been aimed at the commercial benefits for the three-minute pauses in action.
xwhatsapp-strokecopylinkgoogle Add Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Uruguay's Agustin Canobbio cools off during a hydration break in a World Cup Group H match against Saudi Arabia, in Miami Gardens, Florida, on June 15 [Lynne Sladky/AP Photo]By Anushe Engineer and Reuters Published On 20 Jun 202620 Jun 2026FIFA’s ability to use football as a unifying factor has arguably never been more streamlined than the collective distaste for its decision to introduce hydration breaks in all fixtures at the World Cup.
Fans, players, coaches, and everyone in between have criticised, debated, and challenged the decision that has become a major talking point of the six-week-long tournament, with a myriad of other socioeconomic, political and financial problems.