Water-gate: Fifa’s lucrative breaks ruining the spectacle

The decision to mandate three-minute hydration breaks during every half at the 2026 World Cup smacks of yet more greed from the insatiable Infantino, writes Lawrence Ostlere

- Lawrence Ostlere

“This hydration break is powered by Powerade,” roared Fox Sports commentator Ian Darke, as the first game of the World Cup stopped after 24 minutes so players could take on water.

The temperature in Mexico City was 23C, constituting a relatively mild day in the Mexican summer. But if we’ve learnt one thing over the past few weeks, it’s that this is not a tournament to miss out on a fast buck. Fox Sports, of course, used the three-minute break to show lucrative advertising. Powerade is Fifa’s official sports drink, and once it had its moment on screen, Fox cut to adverts for AT&T (telecoms), Michelob Ultra (light beer), Lowe’s (home improvements) and FanDuel (sports betting). When the break ended, it cut back to find the players preparing to restart. Why anyone needs three minutes to glug some water has not been explained.

At which point, the momentum of a high-paced, entertaining first game was killed. Inside the stadium, the roars that greeted the Mexican anthem and their team’s opening goal were replaced by music. The stands began to empty as fans left their seats, presumably to get their own food and drink, while “dance cam” took over the big screens.