Zurich, Switzerland – December 9, 2025 – FIFA has officially announced that three-minute hydration breaks will be introduced in all 104 matches of the 2026th edition of the FIFA World Cup 2026, regardless of temperature, venue, or weather conditions.
The breaks will occur automatically at the 22-minute mark of each half, with the referee stopping play for exactly three minutes “from whistle to whistle.” This means every single game — from the opening match in Mexico City to the final at MetLife Stadium — will feature two scheduled pauses per match, adding a total of six minutes of structured stoppage time.
FIFA described the new protocol as “a streamlined and simplified version” of measures previously used in extreme heat. Unlike earlier tournaments, where hydration breaks were only triggered when the wet-bulb globe temperature exceeded 32 °C, the 2026 rule removes all environmental conditions. The decision was made to guarantee identical playing conditions for every team and to place player welfare at the very centre of the competition.
The move follows direct lessons learned from the expanded FIFA Club World Cup held across the United States in the summer of 2025. Several matches were played in temperatures reaching 38 °C, and players openly complained of dizziness and exhaustion. Mid-tournament, FIFA lowered the threshold for cooling breaks and provided additional water stations, but the experience convinced officials that a universal, predictable system was needed for the far larger World Cup stage in 2026.
Manolo Zubiria, FIFA’s Chief Tournament Officer for the United States, confirmed the details during a technical briefing for broadcasters and team officials in Washington, D.C. this past weekend:
“For every game, no matter where it is played, no matter if the stadium has a roof or not, and regardless of the outside temperature, there will be a three-minute hydration break in each half. It will be exactly three minutes from the moment the referee blows the whistle to stop play until the whistle to restart.”
The announcement comes just days after FIFA released the complete match schedule on December 6, giving every qualified nation their exact group-stage opponents, venues, and kick-off times. The tournament runs from June 11 to July 19, 2026, across 16 host cities in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. With the competition expanding to 48 teams and some matches still scheduled for 3 p.m. local time in potentially hot and humid locations, medical experts and players’ unions had repeatedly called for stronger heat-mitigation measures.
The hydration breaks serve multiple purposes: they allow players to rehydrate and cool down, give medical staff brief access to the pitch, and provide coaches a short window for tactical instructions without cutting into the halftime interval. Broadcasters will also benefit from predictable commercial slots.
Reaction from the football community has been largely positive. National team managers present at the schedule unveiling welcomed the clarity and consistency, while FIFPro, the global players’ union, praised FIFA for taking a proactive rather than reactive approach. Some commentators have noted that the added minutes could slightly extend overall match duration, but the overwhelming view is that player safety must come first in an event expected to be watched by billions.
As the countdown to the biggest World Cup in history continues, the mandatory hydration breaks stand as a clear signal that FIFA is determined to protect its athletes in an era of longer tournaments, more intense competitions played across diverse climates.
The beautiful game will pause twice per match — not for drama, but for the health of those who make it beautiful.
