ATLANTA — The newly mandatory “hydration breaks”, introduced by FIFA for the 2026 World Cup and implemented for the first time in international soccer this month, have drawn both intrigue and criticism from players and coaches.
The breaks “annoyed” U.S. men’s national team coach Mauricio Pochettino. But Belgium’s Rudi Garcia liked them.
France coach Didier Deschamps didn’t seem too fond, but Portugal’s Roberto Martinez noted that, if some games are going to stop for hydration breaks due to extreme heat, “I think it’s fair to do it in all the games.”
What they all seemed to agree on was that the breaks fundamentally alter the sport.
“This changes football,” Deschamps said after a 2-1 win over Brazil last week.
Over the past decade, mid-half breaks, also known as cooling breaks, have become increasingly common in hot temperatures. But they’ve always been dependent on weather — until now. Ahead of the 2026 World Cup, FIFA announced that all matches will pause for three minutes midway through each half. “There will be no weather or temperature condition in place,” the global soccer governing body said.
To prepare for the new policy, many international teams have implemented the breaks in their March friendlies. And coaches have quickly realized just how significant they can be.
“The game is going to change,” Martinez said Monday ahead of Tuesday’s friendly against the U.S. here in Georgia. “This is a tactical stop. Of course it is a hydration stop, but during three minutes — we’ve seen many examples in other sports, basketball, futsal — the game can really change, the momentum can really change.”
Coaches in favor of the breaks cited the potential benefits of those three minutes.
“I like that, because this is an opportunity for us coaches to speak with the team, to speak about strategy,” Garcia said after Belgium’s 5-2 win over the U.S. on Saturday. “We had a plan tonight … but it was not necessary to put it on the pitch. So we play as we know, with our 4-3-3, and it was a good decision. So, it was possible to speak with the team [during] these breaks [about the plan]. So it was very good, very interesting for me.”
Martinez wasn’t for or against them. But he clearly planned to use them. “I think we need to move with the times,” he said.
“It was really interesting to be able to do it against Mexico,” he said two days after a 0-0 draw in Mexico City. “It’s a moment that you can try to help the players in a different way. You can change things around. And I think the game will change, completely, if you take into consideration that these water breaks could be tactical breaks.”
The stoppages will be an opportunity to tweak positions and schemes in a way that wasn’t possible during 45 continuous, uninterrupted minutes. During the breaks in matches over the past week, coaches gathered their players in a circle and spoke animatedly. Some used tactics boards to diagram movements and formations, others used their hands.
“I think you need to have all the capacity to adjust things and change things,” Martinez said. “And it’s very difficult to do it when the game’s going on. To have a [standstill] moment with your players allows you to do that. I don’t think you would pre-plan what’s going to happen in that break. I think it’s an opportunity to re-adjust and pass the right message to all the players.
“And I do think it’s going to become more tactical, the game. Now, you’re talking about five substitutions … You’ve got the starting lineup, the finishing lineup, and in between you’ve got two stops. The game is going to be more tactical than ever.”
The hydration breaks that will be prevalent throughout the World Cup have been tested out during the March international window around the world (Marc Atkins / Getty Images)
Those not in favor criticized the interruption.
“To be honest, I don’t like [them],” Pochettino said. “I don’t like (it) because I think you cut the rhythm of the game.”
He acknowledged that they are necessary in hot temperatures, but in an indoor stadium like Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, site of both U.S. friendlies this window, “it’s perfect weather to play, or a [perfect] atmosphere to play,” Pochettino said. “It annoys me a little bit. But, that is the new rule that we need to accept.”
Deschamps, meanwhile, echoed a critique that’s been common among fans. “It is very good for you, [for TV], to be able to show a commercial,” he said. “But … regardless of the team, if they are having a strong period of the game, three minutes … this breaks everything.”
Although most broadcasters have not cut away to commercials during matches this month, they will be allowed to during the World Cup, multiple people briefed on the rules told The Athletic.
Player opinions weren’t as strong in one direction or the other. “It depends on how the games are going,” Portugal forward João Félix said Monday. “Especially if you are not good on the pitch, it’s good to adjust some things. Coach tells us some things about the game, about set pieces — that’s important, sometimes they change some things that we are not prepared for. So yeah, I think it helps a lot.
Personally, “I would not agree with that stop,” Félix clarified. “I want to play until the end of the first half. But yeah, it helps a lot as a team.”
