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Everybody can see the hydration breaks for what they are, or at least for what they have quickly become: a chance for broadcasters to sell advertising during matches. It is a major alteration to the sport and one many will hope is ditched as soon as the FIFA roadshow leaves North America.
“Hydration breaks are a bit interesting, because I was obviously watching almost all the games up until today, and every time going to commercial is a bit… not really that I like it.”
Those were the words of Netherlands captain Virgil van Dijk, and they seem to reflect the views of the majority of football fans. One lone voice willing to say in public that the hydration breaks are a good idea is known contrarian Alexi Lalas, who has been whipping up U.S. audiences for years but has been thrust upon the rest of us this summer.
Last week, USMNT coach Mauricio Pochettino, born in Argentina’s agricultural heartlands, hit the nail on the head. “I don’t like it,” he said. “I only like it when the conditions are extreme. But when the conditions are good, it is unnecessary.”
Of course, when temperatures are too high, it is simply humane to allow the players some water, but the fact these breaks have been enforced on everybody, even when matches are inside air-conditioned stadiums, means it is easy to think there may be other motivating factors at play.
But while there is no prospect of them being scrapped, we may as well make the best of it, and on Monday it was the USWNT coach, Emma Hayes, who highlighted how these breaks can be used to enhance the viewing experience.
Working for ITV Sport in the UK, she presented a very short, very easily digestible tactical breakdown of the ‘first quarter’. With Spain struggling to break through against stubborn tournament debutants Cape Verde, she highlighted how their best two moments up until that point had come through ‘wide rotations’, and urged them to be more patient when trying to get things right.
She explained in one example how Spain forward Ferran Torres moved from outside to in, with Pedri then moving from inside to out. That enabled them to get away from their Cape Verde markers and put in a dangerous cross.
In the second example, Torres moved from inside to outside, with Marcos Llorente coming from outside to in, allowing him to receive the ball from Torres and burst into the box.
Hayes first stood out as a fantastic addition to tournament coverage during the European Championship in 2021, where she continuously provided insightful tactical knowledge as a co-commentator and in the studio. Broadcasters vie for the best managers and players to bring their coverage to life but few have added tactical insight like Hayes in recent years.
Her breakdown on Monday lasted just 70 seconds but delivered more value than most punditry during the tournament so far, let alone the commercials that are broadcast in some countries. If anything, she offered so much information in such a short amount of time that it was possibly too much to fully comprehend as it was being delivered, but there is no doubt there should be far more of this kind of thing in football coverage, and definitely in these situations where these breaks are thrust upon us.
It is curious that FIFA tends to introduce completely untested measures at the biggest, most important tournament in football, but it seems to have got things right in its attempts to speed matches up, limiting throw-ins and goal kicks to five seconds and making players stay off the pitch for one minute if they receive medical treatment (that may punish players who are legitimately hurt, but you can see a reduction in time wasting already).
The hydration breaks, though, appear universally unpopular. Did anyone even want them in the first place? Their reputation was done no good by Fox Sports’ commercial break overrunning during the opening game between Mexico and South Africa, meaning some of the action was missed.
Anybody who seriously watches football and has fumed at missing a promising counter-attack or a mistake leading to a goal because the broadcaster is showing a replay of an earlier incident knows that failing to broadcast live action is a cardinal sin, let alone for adverts. We still remember ITV missing the U.S.’s opening goal against England at the 2010 World Cup thanks to a technical error.
The sight of the Switzerland and Qatar players ready in their positions to restart their game on Saturday, but clearly having to wait for external factors, while Whitney Houston’s voice blared around the stadium, was simply unacceptable.
Quite simply, most football fans don’t like people meddling with the game, and certainly when there is at least the perception that money is playing a part.
There are some noble broadcasters, like Telemundo as well as ITV and the BBC (the latter does not carry advertisements anyway, but could use the opportunity to plug its shows if it wanted to), who do not use the hydration breaks to lessen the viewers’ experience further.
On Monday, through Hayes’ tactical breakdown, we were given an example of how the hydration breaks can enhance the viewing experience — until they are done away with forever.
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
US Women's national team, Premier League, Soccer, International Football, Women's Soccer, FIFA Men's World Cup
2026 The Athletic Media Company
Continue reading...
“Hydration breaks are a bit interesting, because I was obviously watching almost all the games up until today, and every time going to commercial is a bit… not really that I like it.”
Those were the words of Netherlands captain Virgil van Dijk, and they seem to reflect the views of the majority of football fans. One lone voice willing to say in public that the hydration breaks are a good idea is known contrarian Alexi Lalas, who has been whipping up U.S. audiences for years but has been thrust upon the rest of us this summer.
Last week, USMNT coach Mauricio Pochettino, born in Argentina’s agricultural heartlands, hit the nail on the head. “I don’t like it,” he said. “I only like it when the conditions are extreme. But when the conditions are good, it is unnecessary.”
Of course, when temperatures are too high, it is simply humane to allow the players some water, but the fact these breaks have been enforced on everybody, even when matches are inside air-conditioned stadiums, means it is easy to think there may be other motivating factors at play.
But while there is no prospect of them being scrapped, we may as well make the best of it, and on Monday it was the USWNT coach, Emma Hayes, who highlighted how these breaks can be used to enhance the viewing experience.
Working for ITV Sport in the UK, she presented a very short, very easily digestible tactical breakdown of the ‘first quarter’. With Spain struggling to break through against stubborn tournament debutants Cape Verde, she highlighted how their best two moments up until that point had come through ‘wide rotations’, and urged them to be more patient when trying to get things right.
She explained in one example how Spain forward Ferran Torres moved from outside to in, with Pedri then moving from inside to out. That enabled them to get away from their Cape Verde markers and put in a dangerous cross.
In the second example, Torres moved from inside to outside, with Marcos Llorente coming from outside to in, allowing him to receive the ball from Torres and burst into the box.
Hayes first stood out as a fantastic addition to tournament coverage during the European Championship in 2021, where she continuously provided insightful tactical knowledge as a co-commentator and in the studio. Broadcasters vie for the best managers and players to bring their coverage to life but few have added tactical insight like Hayes in recent years.
Her breakdown on Monday lasted just 70 seconds but delivered more value than most punditry during the tournament so far, let alone the commercials that are broadcast in some countries. If anything, she offered so much information in such a short amount of time that it was possibly too much to fully comprehend as it was being delivered, but there is no doubt there should be far more of this kind of thing in football coverage, and definitely in these situations where these breaks are thrust upon us.
It is curious that FIFA tends to introduce completely untested measures at the biggest, most important tournament in football, but it seems to have got things right in its attempts to speed matches up, limiting throw-ins and goal kicks to five seconds and making players stay off the pitch for one minute if they receive medical treatment (that may punish players who are legitimately hurt, but you can see a reduction in time wasting already).
The hydration breaks, though, appear universally unpopular. Did anyone even want them in the first place? Their reputation was done no good by Fox Sports’ commercial break overrunning during the opening game between Mexico and South Africa, meaning some of the action was missed.
Anybody who seriously watches football and has fumed at missing a promising counter-attack or a mistake leading to a goal because the broadcaster is showing a replay of an earlier incident knows that failing to broadcast live action is a cardinal sin, let alone for adverts. We still remember ITV missing the U.S.’s opening goal against England at the 2010 World Cup thanks to a technical error.
The sight of the Switzerland and Qatar players ready in their positions to restart their game on Saturday, but clearly having to wait for external factors, while Whitney Houston’s voice blared around the stadium, was simply unacceptable.
Quite simply, most football fans don’t like people meddling with the game, and certainly when there is at least the perception that money is playing a part.
There are some noble broadcasters, like Telemundo as well as ITV and the BBC (the latter does not carry advertisements anyway, but could use the opportunity to plug its shows if it wanted to), who do not use the hydration breaks to lessen the viewers’ experience further.
On Monday, through Hayes’ tactical breakdown, we were given an example of how the hydration breaks can enhance the viewing experience — until they are done away with forever.
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
US Women's national team, Premier League, Soccer, International Football, Women's Soccer, FIFA Men's World Cup
2026 The Athletic Media Company
Continue reading...
