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Hydration Breaks Aren’t Satisfying World Cup Fans
Get this water off my screen // Illustration by Kate Walker
The commercialization of FIFA’s new “hydration breaks” is causing a stir among players, coaches, and fans.
Why It Thirsts: Sponsoring the World Cup is a tricky game. Thanks to FIFA’s clean-stadium policy, any brand that isn’t an official sponsor can’t appear during a match broadcast. That means stadiums get renamed, and even drink logos have to be covered up. As a result, turning hydration breaks into ad opportunities has been a boon for Fox, Peacock, and advertisers — but it’s been a tough swallow for just about everyone else.
Between The Breaks: The hydration break — a three-minute pause midway through each half of a soccer match — is changing both the momentum of the game and the way it’s covered.
Coaches and players have expressed that it changes their strategy because the game has essentially shifted from two halves to four quarters. That transforms the momentum of play.
Fans were mad when one Fox commercial block during a hydration break — which completely cut away from the game — ran 40 seconds too long, overlapping with actual gameplay. FIFA said it won’t punish the broadcaster for going over.
Last Sip: The hydration breaks were introduced after the sweltering conditions at the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup. The same is true this year, with World Weather Attribution finding that 1 in 4 games will be played in dangerous heat.
While FIFA hasn’t said whether the hydration breaks are here to stay, you can bet they will be if the climate keeps changing the way it is.
Prediction: Powerade is this year’s hydration break sponsor, but expect the slot to become a bidding war every four years. Hydration is so hot right now.
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Today’s email was written by David Vendrell.
Edited by Nick Comney. Polled and Copy-edited by Kait Cunniff.
Published by Darline Salazar.