If you’ve been watching the 2026 World Cup and wondering why every match grinds to a halt for a three-minute water break, you’re not alone. Players have complained. Managers have rolled their eyes. Fans in stadiums have actually booed. But FIFA president Gianni Infantino? He’s not just defending the pauses. He’s hinting they might become a permanent fixture of the sport.
The mandatory breaks, which happen midway through each half, were originally pitched as a safety measure for players competing in extreme heat. But the tournament is also being played in climate-controlled stadiums, which has made the stoppages feel unnecessary to a lot of people. Critics say they kill momentum and mess with the game’s natural rhythm. Some broadcasters have even used the downtime to run extra ads, which hasn’t helped the optics.
Infantino isn’t budging. In an interview with SNTV, he pointed to the quality of play itself as proof the breaks are working.
“Maybe the coach can reassess certain situations, correct certain mistakes. The players get a little rest and come back in full speed. Well, is that bad necessarily? Maybe it’s good,” Infantino said. He also noted the intensity of matches has been unusually high all tournament. “We’ve never seen 90 minutes in a tournament like this played in such an intensity. Until the last second of the match, players attack and so on.”
The FIFA boss suggested the brief rest periods might actually be helping players maintain that level. “Maybe, maybe not, but maybe it’s also a bit thanks to this little break,” he said.
Wait, is this about money or not?
One of the loudest suspicions from fans is that the breaks exist to create more commercial inventory. Infantino pushed back hard on that. He said all FIFA broadcast contracts were signed before the hydration break decision was made, meaning the organization isn’t making an extra dollar from them. “There is no additional revenue for FIFA, as all commercial agreements were signed well in advance,” he said. “So, this is not a financial issue for us. For us, it is purely a sporting matter.”
He also argued it wouldn’t be fair to only use the breaks in games where the temperature is dangerously high. If one team gets a mid-game huddle with their coach and the other doesn’t, that’s an advantage. “Why would the coach have the opportunity to influence the game in one match just because it’s hot and in another match where it’s a bit less hot, he wouldn’t have this opportunity?” Infantino said.
So the current setup treats every game the same: mandatory break, every match, no exceptions. That consistency is exactly what FIFA wants, even if it means air-conditioned stadiums also get pause buttons pressed for three minutes at a time.
Infantino confirmed FIFA will “consider” bringing hydration breaks into future tournaments based on what happens in 2026. Whether that means they eventually become a standard part of the rules — like halftime or injury stoppages — remains to be seen. But he didn’t exactly sound like a guy looking to walk it back.
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