The mandatory hydration breaks have become one of the most talked-about aspects of World Cup 2026. Playing in North America in summer, sometimes early in the afternoon, means that temperatures are very high, sometimes extreme, so FIFA put the norm of stopping each half of the match to allow players to drink water and rest. Those three-minute pauses are then used by TV broadcasters to show commercials.
While nobody doubts the importance of hydration in hot and humid conditions, these cooling breaks are mandatory on all matches, including some that are played at softer temperatures (some matches have even been indoors, in cooled stadiums). This effectively means that matches are now four quarters of around 22/25 minutes, killing the pace of the match. And fans don't like it.
According to Reuters, matches on Wednesday (Thursday in European time) received boos by spectators during these hydration breaks. It happened during the England vs. Croatia match as well as the Panama vs. Ghana match. There were also boos in Tuesday's match between Norway and Iraq, played in Boston with 23°C temperatures.