World Cup 2026: Did hydration breaks foil the campaigns of Arab teams?
Submitted by Bassil Mikdadi on Mon, 07/06/2026 - 09:20
Mandatory hydration breaks were introduced to protect players from the heat, but they have also become tactical timeouts that have helped the favourites
Saudi Arabia's players are pictured drinking water and getting medical treatment during a hydration break in their match against Cape Verde at Houston Stadium on 26 Jun 2026 (Michael Steele/Getty Images/AFP) Off Football is a game of momentum.
Very few teams can dominate a match from start to finish, so it's critical to score during the phases of the game when you have the upper hand.
But at this year's World Cup, mandatory hydration breaks have repeatedly interrupted these moments, giving the favourites an opportunity to regroup, tactically reset and wrest back control from the underdogs.
Before this year's tournament kicked off, Fifa announced that hydration breaks would take place in the 22nd and 67th minutes in all 104 matches, in order to protect the players from extreme temperatures.
This included games played at indoor venues such as those in Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles and Vancouver.
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
Other than providing the players an opportunity to take on fluids or for broadcasters to cut to commercial, the hydration breaks gave most of the favourites an opportunity to radically change the rhythm and trajectory of the matches.
There was a sense this could be the case when, in a pre-tournament friendly between the United States and Senegal, Mauricio Pochettino entered the memeverse by grabbing a laptop and showing various clips to the American team.
In photos: Egypt fever sweeps Gaza as World Cup draws crowds Read More »
At nearly every hydration break at this years' tournament, players could be seen taking on just as many instructions as liquids.
As a result, we saw major swings in momentum in favour of more established teams following each hydration break.
Curacao were adversely affected by the hydration break that came after they scored a shock equaliser against Germany to make it 1-1. The Germans regrouped and scored twice before half-time, effectively settling the encounter.
In the not-so-distant past, managers would have been scribbling instructions on a piece of paper and handing them to a substitute or player on the touchline, hoping the message would be understood and implemented correctly.
But the breaks gave coaches an opportunity to read the game and make changes before half-time. And these moments cost several Arab teams dearly.
Swing in momentum
A study by The Times found that the second-half hydration break between Uruguay and Saudi Arabia accounted for the largest swing in momentum of any match in the group stage.
The two-time World Cup champions scored an 80th-minute equaliser. Had Saudi Arabia held on to its 1-0 lead, it could have resulted in a rematch with Argentina in the Round of 32.
Jordan was another side to feel the hydration break cost it the chance of recording a historic result on its World Cup debut. It was level 1-1 with both Austria and Algeria before second-half play was halted.
Morocco's momentum against Brazil was also halted by a first-half hydration break. The Atlas Lions were dominating proceedings before the stoppage allowed Brazil to regroup with their Italian manager. An equaliser arrived shortly afterwards and the match ended 1-1.
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
The insistence on including a hydration break in every game has drawn the ire of fans attending the 2026 World Cup.
World Cup 2026: Why some US hotels aren't cashing in on the tourism surge Read More »
The referee's whistle directing teams to the sidelines midway through each half has frequently been greeted by a chorus of boos. Fans have accused the governing body of using the excuse of high temperatures to squeeze more money from the game, but Fifa President Gianni Infantino has claimed the organisation "does not make one dollar off the hydration breaks".
That claim has been met with scepticism given the breaks have officially been branded as the hydration break brought to you by Powerade. For all the cynicism, the stoppages are likely to be necessary over the next week as a heatwave descends on the eastern seaboard of the United States.
Even if Fifa's claims of no added revenue are to be believed, there is little doubt the breaks could become more commercially valuable in future. As television rights are renegotiated around the world, Fifa can point to the additional stoppages created by the new 104-match format.
On X, journalist Leyla Hamed pointed out that several former players were now pushing for hydration breaks to become institutionalised.
"It's so weird watching football legends, many of them tied to betting companies, manufacture worldwide acceptance of hydration breaks," she wrote.
Her post included screenshots of former World Cup winners Roberto Carlos and Iker Casillas advocating for the breaks, with Casillas even suggesting: "Don't you think four periods of 25 minutes would be a good idea for football matches?"
Fifa also announced a new title sponsorship deal with ADI Predictstreet, a sports prediction market created only months before the World Cup. With additional breaks in play, it is not difficult to imagine graphics and advertisements encouraging people to bet on different outcomes during matches.
'Breaks the match into four quarters'
In comments before England's Round of 32 match against DR Congo, England manager Thomas Tuchel expressed his frustration with the forced stoppages.
"I think that it interrupts and changes the identity of a football match much more than I thought," he said.
"It breaks the match almost into four quarters. And I think it changes the characteristic of the match more than I thought," he added.
World Cup 2026: How a New Jersey town has struggled to embrace Morocco's team Read More »
The first and second-half stoppages in England's Round of 32 encounter with DR Congo appeared to help the European side wrest momentum away from the African nation.
The Leopards opened the scoring in the seventh minute and, before the first hydration break, England had registered zero touches in the box and zero shots on goal.
After the stoppage, England amassed eight shots and 20 touches in the Congolese penalty area before half-time.
DR Congo held on, but its undoing proved to be the second hydration break. England managed three times as many shots on goal and twice as many touches in the box after the restart.
Much of that improvement came after Tuchel shifted midfielder Declan Rice into the right-back position.
The changes worked. Harry Kane scored in the 75th and 86th minutes to send England through to the Round of 16.
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
Asked about the hydration breaks after the match, Tuchel struck a more diplomatic tone.
"I make the most of it," he said. "You know I don't really love them."
World Cup 2026 Did hydration breaks derail Arab teams' World Cup campaigns? News Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19
Update Date Override 0