Wenger: FIFA to Review 'Hydration Breaks' After Tournament

Arsène Wenger, FIFA's Chief of Global Football Development, stated that while the hydration breaks introduced at the 2026 North and Central America World Cup did not affect match results, he stopped short of confirming whether they would continue.
The British broadcaster BBC reported today (July 19, Korea Standard Time) that the former Arsenal (England) manager acknowledged that the hydration breaks implemented for the World Cup were unpopular and that FIFA would review their impact after the tournament.
FIFA has been implementing a three-minute hydration break in both the first and second halves of every match in this tournament.
Approximately 22 minutes into each half, the referee pauses the game to allow players time to rehydrate.
The official reason cited by FIFA for the introduction of these breaks is the protection of player health.
However, critics have argued that because the breaks are enforced in every match regardless of temperature or weather conditions, they were intended to guarantee advertising time for broadcasters who pay massive broadcasting rights fees to FIFA.
According to the BBC, the average price for a 30-second World Cup commercial on Fox Sports, the tournament's broadcaster in the United States, is between 200,000 and 300,000 dollars (approximately 300 million to 450 million won).
During U.S. matches and the tournament period, the price has soared to as high as 750,000 dollars (approximately 1.12 billion won).
"Sometimes people didn't like the hydration breaks," said the former manager, adding that FIFA will analyze their impact after the World Cup.
"In my opinion, it didn't seem to influence the results of the games," he added. "But we are here for the people who watch football, so we will draw a conclusion later."
(Photo: Getty Images)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.