It was the 21st minute when Liviano Comenencia shot a ball that was left without an owner on the edge of the Germany area. The shot is poisoned between the legs of one of the defenders, and Manuel Neuer is surprised under the goal. As surprised as all of us who were in front of the television watching Curacao’s first goal in the final phase of a Soccer World Cup were.
The game was beginning to go crazy. Germany was driving, but the German team looked uncomfortable. The top favorite suit was not fitting him at all; it was obvious that the shirt was a little small and that the collar was too tight. The public began to dream of one of those historical feats.
But five minutes were enough to wake us up from our reverie. Stop to take a breath. Cooling Break says on the television sign. And on the way back, there was Germany. Now he had replaced his shirt, already tucked well inside his pants. Before the usual break came, the Germans had already settled into the game and were winning 3-1.
Curacao can boast of having tied Germany for a few minutes. And he will also regret being one of the great victims of a new football that is played in four quarters.
From Player Protection to Advertising Business
In FIFA World Cup 2026™ matches, players will enjoy three-minute rehydration breaks midway through each half. With this measure, FIFA prioritizes the well-being of the players during the edition of the competition that will be held next summer in Canada, Mexico, and the United States.
When FIFA introduced hydration breaks for the first time 12 years ago, he did it due to pressure from the players themselves. Faced with the extreme heat and humidity of Brazil, the footballers pressed until the highest body of world football agreed to temporarily stop the match in the 30th and 60th minutes, as long as the certified temperature exceeded 32 degrees.
Since then, the measure has been extended to all types of competitions, as long as the temperatures and the weather conditions were extreme. However, FIFA has decided that in this World Cup, the match will pause in the 22nd minute of each half. A measure, they claim, that “gives priority to the well-being of the players” and applies “in all matches, regardless of the weather and prevailing temperatures.”
This means the match stops even when played in conditions known to be favorable. When Germany-Curaçao stopped, the thermometer read just over 20 degrees.
The Caribbeans were the perfect victim. The break, without exhausted players, became an opportunity for Germany to regroup and reorganize their tactics. This scenario perfectly illustrates the new world of football, where the game operates in four 22-minute quarters— a significant departure from traditional formats.
The Business of Breaks
There’s little doubt about the purpose of these advertising spaces breaks for hydration. Players are seen waiting for the referee’s signal, observing from tablets whether the advertisements have concluded on broadcasts.
Didier Deschamps, France’s coach, quipped, “These three minutes stop everything. We have to adapt. The televisions are happy, right?” Mauricio Pochettino, United States coach, echoed similar sentiments, expressing his discomfort with breaks in non-extreme weather.
The most outrageous incidents occurred when Germany players asked the referee to restart the match against Curacao after 90 seconds of inactivity. Advertisers reportedly pay around $200,000 for 30-second slots during these pauses, with that figure rising to $750,000 if the United States is playing.
The Impact on the Game
“I’ve been watching all the games, and when there’s a hydration break… well, I don’t really like it,” said Virgil Van Dijk. “I think they’re necessary if it’s really hot, but you should treat each game separately.”
Jürgen Klopp, former Liverpool coach, described the pauses as “a golden cage built for advertisers.” Football is increasingly being shaped by managers entrenched in air-conditioned offices, he argued. These breaks disrupt the game’s natural rhythm, offering tactical advantages to more organized teams.
Moreover, hydration breaks have become downtime for teams, favoring those with the best coaching staff capable of implementing tactical adjustments. In club football, where squad sizes and budgets continue to balloon, this advantage compounds the challenges faced by smaller clubs.
The World Cup, synonymous with unpredictability and memorable moments, risks losing its charm amid strategic “timeouts” that cater to commercial interests. It remains to be seen whether FIFA will acknowledge the implications of this transformed model. With an eye-popping €4,000 million anticipated from broadcasting rights alone, it is likely they prefer financial gain over on-field integrity.