With the 2026 World Cup set to take place across the United States, Canada, and Mexico, FIFA is preparing for intense summer temperatures. To protect players and ensure their safety, the governing body has confirmed that three-minute “hydration breaks” will be added to every match, twice per half.
Matches to Feature New Mid-Half Hydration Stoppages
Regardless of weather conditions, referees will pause play 22 minutes into each half, meaning every match will effectively include four planned stoppages. FIFA said this rule was finalized after discussions with coaches and broadcasting partners.
The organization noted that similar breaks were tested earlier this year at the Club World Cup, but only when temperatures reached dangerous levels. In some games, play had to be halted when the heat soared to 38°C.
Benfica forward Andreas Schjelderup described the conditions by saying,
“𝑰 𝒅𝒐𝒏’𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒌 𝑰’𝒗𝒆 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒚𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒏 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒕 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕… 𝒊𝒕 𝒅𝒊𝒅𝒏’𝒕 𝒇𝒆𝒆𝒍 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒕𝒉𝒚.”
Chelsea’s Enzo Fernández also shared his concern:
“𝑶𝒏𝒆 𝒅𝒂𝒚 𝑰 𝒉𝒂𝒅 𝒂 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒂𝒄𝒉𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒉𝒂𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒍𝒊𝒆 𝒅𝒐𝒘𝒏… 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒚𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒊𝒏 𝒔𝒖𝒄𝒉 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒆𝒙𝒕𝒓𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒍𝒚 𝒅𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒔.”
Player Safety Prioritized in Expanded Tournament
Taking players’ discomfort and medical advice into account, FIFA has made these six mandatory hydration breaks a requirement for the largest World Cup in history. The decision aims to reduce the risks of dehydration, heat exhaustion, and other heat-related injuries.
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