Soccer Football - FIFA World Cup - UEFA Qualifiers - Group F - Hungary v Armenia - Puskas Arena, Budapest, Hungary - October 11, 2025 Hungary's Daniel Lukacs during a water break REUTERS/Bernadett Szabo
Dec 8 (Reuters) - World Cup matches at the 2026 tournament will have three-minute hydration breaks midway through each half regardless of the weather conditions, FIFA has said.
Referees will stop games 22 minutes into each half so players can rehydrate, soccer's global governing body added in a statement.
FIFA said the new rule will streamline and simplify the previous rules, which required cooling breaks 30 minutes into each half when the temperature at kickoff exceeded 31 degrees Celsius.
“For every game, no matter where the games are played, no matter if there’s a roof, (or) temperature-wise, there will be a three-minute hydration break,” said Manolo Zubiria, the World Cup's chief tournament officer in the United States.
"Obviously, if there’s an injury at the moment of the 20th or 21st minute and it’s ongoing, this will be addressed on the spot with the referee," he added in a meeting with broadcasters in Washington.
Excessive heat raised concerns during this year's Club World Cup held in the U.S., with several matches kicking off in the afternoon amid high temperatures.
A report published in September by Football for the Future, Common Goal and Jupiter Intelligence found 10 of the 16 venues for the World Cup, taking place in the U.S., Mexico and Canada, are at very high risk of extreme heat stress conditions.
"The use of hydration breaks is part of a focused attempt to ensure the best possible conditions for players, drawing upon the experiences of previous tournaments, including the recent FIFA Club World Cup," FIFA added in Sunday's statement.
(Reporting by Chiranjit Ojha in Bengaluru; Editing by Ken Ferris)
