FIFA has decided to permit broadcasters to air commercials during the mandatory three-minute hydration breaks in each half of every 2026 World Cup match. The breaks, introduced as a player welfare measure, will occur regardless of weather conditions. Broadcasters have flexibility in how they use the time, with specific guidelines to manage advertising.
FIFA announced in December that the 2026 World Cup, hosted by Canada, the United States, and Mexico, would include three-minute hydration breaks midway through each 45-minute half of every match. These pauses, called by the referee around the 22nd or 27th minute of each half depending on play flow, aim to support player welfare amid expected summer heat, without tying them to temperature thresholds.
Multiple sources confirm that FIFA has informed broadcasters they may cut away to advertisements during these breaks, marking uncharted territory for the tournament. Guidelines specify that ads cannot start within 20 seconds of the referee's whistle pausing play and must return to the match feed more than 30 seconds before resumption, providing a roughly two-minute, 10-second window for commercials.
Broadcasters are not required to show ads; options include staying with the match feed, shifting to studio analysis, or using split-screens. However, any on-screen ads adjacent to the live feed must feature FIFA sponsors, such as Powerade, a Coca-Cola product. Full cut-aways allow sales to non-sponsors, though FIFA partners may have priority. In stadiums, breaks will be branded by FIFA, as seen in the 2025 Club World Cup.
Ricardo Fort, a sports sponsorship executive, noted the financial logic: “If you are FIFA, and you are going to have these breaks, you are doing simple math: is it more profitable for us to sell this at a premium to a (commercial) partner? Or is it more profitable to give it back to the broadcasters? And in this case, it’s a no-brainer.”
Telemundo executive Joaquin Duro expressed mixed views, emphasizing the value of on-field content: “I like to watch the game, and I like to listen to everything that happens, even during hydration breaks.” He added, “For the first time, in a way, soccer will become almost like a four-quarter (American) football or basketball (game)... For soccer? I don’t know. Soccer is different.”
The change has drawn fan criticism for potentially disrupting soccer's rhythm, with some calling it driven by greed. CONMEBOL's similar 90-second breaks in South American competitions focus on content capture rather than ads. The 2026 tournament expands to 48 teams and 104 matches, from June 11 to July 19.
