World Cup 2026 is turning into a “four-quarter game”: water breaks have become a new advertising window

One of the most discussed innovations of the 2026 FIFA World Cup has already emerged — mandatory hydration breaks in every match. They are scheduled regardless of weather conditions or air temperature: three minutes in each half.

Officially, these pauses are explained as a measure to protect players’ health during a summer tournament in North America. In practice, however, they have already sparked serious debate. Fans and some experts believe that football is being artificially pushed closer to the American sports model, where a game is divided into separate segments and every stoppage becomes an opportunity for advertising.

FOX, the broadcaster showing the 2026 World Cup in the United States, has been especially active in using this new opportunity. During the water breaks, the channel switches to full-screen commercials. These advertising slots are considered particularly valuable because, unlike the half-time interval, viewers are more likely to stay in front of their screens, as play is expected to resume within just a few minutes.

As a result, the classic football match is effectively beginning to resemble a game of four quarters, with stoppages in the middle of each half. This structure is familiar in American sports such as the NBA and NFL, but in football it looks unusual and irritates many fans.

Discontent grew after the opening match of the 2026 World Cup between Mexico and South Africa. According to broadcasting rules, networks are supposed to return from commercials 30 seconds before play resumes. However, according to media reports, FOX returned to the broadcast only after the game had already restarted. As a result, some viewers missed several seconds of the match.

At the same time, not all broadcasters are using water breaks for advertising. For example, Spanish-language broadcaster Telemundo stayed with the action during such stoppages, showing what was happening near the touchline and filling the air with commentary analysis. This allowed viewers to remain connected to the match.

The innovation has already become one of the most controversial topics of the opening days of the World Cup. On the one hand, FIFA explains the pauses as a measure to protect players. On the other, for many fans, water breaks have become a symbol of the tournament’s commercialization and an attempt to adapt football to the American television model.

The 2026 World Cup is being held in the United States, Canada and Mexico and is the first tournament in history to feature 48 national teams. However, already at the start of the competition, attention is being drawn not only to the matches themselves, but also to how football’s television presentation is changing.