Overview
- FIFA has implemented mandatory hydration pauses in every match, scheduled around the 22nd and 67th minutes and lasting about three minutes each.
- President Gianni Infantino has publicly defended the measure as driven by player welfare and equal conditions for all teams and has denied the pauses generate extra FIFA revenue.
- Fans, some coaches and players have voiced strong objections for breaking football’s traditional two-half flow, with audible boos recorded at several stadiums including a climate-controlled venue in Dallas.
- Industry estimates based on the tournament’s 208 pauses put potential additional advertising inventory between roughly $624 million and up to $5 billion, intensifying scrutiny of commercial motives.
- FIFA says it will study whether the pauses affect match outcomes or commercial arrangements and then decide if the breaks will be retained for future World Cups.