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Rabat – FIFA will introduce three-minute “hydration breaks” in every half of the 2026 World Cup, and broadcasters will be allowed to cut away to commercials during pauses, The Athletic reported on Thursday.
The breaks were first announced in December as a player welfare measure, but FIFA confirmed they will happen in all matches regardless of the weather.
Referees will stop play midway through each half, giving broadcasters a window of around two minutes and ten seconds to show ads.
Guidelines say commercials cannot begin within 20 seconds of the whistle and must end at least 30 seconds before play resumes.
Broadcasters are not required to cut away. They can stay with the match feed, use split‑screen ads, or return to studio analysis. If they keep the game on screen, only FIFA sponsors can buy that ad space.
For example, Powerade, a Coca‑Cola brand, can sponsor the hydration breaks, but rival products like Gatorade cannot. Full‑screen ads, however, can be sold more widely.
This marks a significant shift for football. World Cup broadcasts traditionally avoided in‑game commercials, especially in Europe where public broadcasters dominated coverage.
Now, with private networks like Fox, Telemundo, TyC Sports, and M6 holding rights, FIFA is opening the door to new revenue streams.
Industry experts have said that broadcasters will likely pay more for these breaks than FIFA could earn by selling them directly. Ricardo Fort, a former Coca‑Cola and Visa sponsorship executive, has called it “a no‑brainer” for FIFA to let networks monetize the pauses.
But not all broadcasters are enthusiastic. Telemundo’s sports chief Joaquin Duro said he prefers to keep cameras on the players and coaches during breaks, describing those moments as “good content.”
Duro noted that sponsors will still be visible, but he was cautious about cutting away entirely. “Soccer is different. For the first time, it will feel almost like basketball or American football,” he said.
