More hydration breaks are coming in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and broadcasters have to be celebrating.
The change, announced Monday, will implement mandatory three-minute breaks at the midway point of the first and second halves, giving players a chance to catch their breath and replenish fluids amid the warm summer climates in many North American host cities.
But the more impactful ripple of the adjustment could be for networks like Fox, which can now schedule two additional, built-in breaks throughout game broadcasts. We don’t need to look any further than the degradation of NFL RedZone to see what happens when media companies get hold of new advertising windows.
Soccer has long been a challenging sport for networks to monetize through commercials, as halftime is the only regular break during games. These new hydration breaks will be prime windows for new advertising.
Adding more hydration breaks was also, from a soccer standpoint, a genuine necessity.
Players noted the challenges of playing in uncovered stadiums during the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, with even typically temperate cities like Philadelphia taking a toll on teams. The 2022 World Cup was infamously played in late fall in Qatar to avoid harsh heat conditions.
Warm temperatures and humidity at venues like Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium or even Kansas City could wear on athletes next summer.
Fox is promising the most blown-out World Cup coverage era, with the event being played on American soil. The new breaks announced by FIFA give the network a chance to generate even more revenue from a marquee event.
About Brendon Kleen
Brendon is a Media Commentary staff writer at Awful Announcing. He has also covered basketball and sports business at Front Office Sports, SB Nation, Uproxx and more.