{"id":4386,"date":"2026-07-06T10:03:47","date_gmt":"2026-07-06T10:03:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=4386"},"modified":"2026-07-06T10:03:47","modified_gmt":"2026-07-06T10:03:47","slug":"is-there-anything-world-cup-fans-despise-more-than-the-hydration-breaks-players-cant-stand-them-either","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=4386","title":{"rendered":"Is there anything World Cup fans despise more than the hydration breaks? (Players can\u2019t stand them, either.)"},"content":{"rendered":"
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For much of this World Cup, the boos have come like clockwork.<\/span><\/p>\n

You could set your watch to it, with a minute or two of margin for error: 22 or 23 minutes into each half, the referees have blown their whistles and signaled for a hydration break, and the fans have booed time and time again.<\/span><\/p>\n

Read more Analyzing Belgium, the US men\u2019s team\u2019s round of 16 opponent in the World Cup<\/a><\/p>\n

The hydration breaks introduced for this World Cup have been widely unpopular, with fans quickly sniffing out FIFA\u2019s thinly veiled excuse of \u201cplayer safety\u201d in hot conditions as a pretense for sneaking in extra commercials.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Those commercials are unusually valuable real estate. Soccer fans are used to two halves of 45 minutes each, sans interruption, and aren\u2019t likely to click away for those three minutes.<\/span><\/p>\n

The fact that the breaks were introduced wholesale, and not on a case-by-case basis, made them even more unpopular. June brought fairly mild weather through much of the country, but those hydration breaks for \u201cplayer safety\u201d remained, including in Atlanta, Houston, and Dallas, where the games are being played within the confines of climate-controlled, indoor arenas.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFor players safety, when it\u2019s too hot, yes, absolutely have a hydration break,\u201d said former England striker Alan Shearer. \u201cBut, an example, England\u2019s game [against Croatia] was air conditioned. [70] degrees. Perfect temperature with a roof over. So, there is absolutely no need for players\u2019 welfare to have a hydration break.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe all know what they\u2019re for. We all know why they\u2019ve brought them in. And the vast majority of time, unfortunately, it\u2019s not for player welfare. It\u2019s for adverts.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Perhaps the most farcical outdoor example came in Foxborough on June 23, when England and Ghana played to a 0-0 draw. On a 65-degree day with overcast skies and intermittent rain, a hydration break didn\u2019t seem particularly necessary.<\/span><\/p>\n

Related: <\/span><\/span>After call from Trump, FIFA lifts suspension of US star forward Folarin Balogun, news outlets report<\/div>\n

Things got even sillier when the game was interrupted by an injury stoppage 20 minutes in, leading to a three-minute break in which the players came to the sideline, took on some fluids, and had a chance to recover. <\/span><\/p>\n

Play restarted for about two minutes, then the referee blew for a hydration break \u2014 despite the fact that one, in essence, had just occurred. The boos, particularly from the England fans, were some of the loudest of the tournament.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cLet\u2019s be honest, that whole passage of play was a farce, wasn\u2019t it?\u201d said FOX sideline reporter Geoff Shreeves.<\/span><\/p>\n

Responses from players have been mixed. Dutch center back Virgil van Dijk advocated for breaks on a case-by-case basis after the Netherlands\u2019 game against Japan was interrupted for a hydration break during an indoor match in Dallas.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI think for the neutral watchers on TV, it\u2019s also not great,\u201d van Dijk said. \u201cIf it\u2019s really hot, obviously it would be good to put them in. But I think you have to look at it in every game, separately, in my opinion.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Read more Erling Haaland scores twice, Norway knocks out five-time champion Brazil in the World Cup round of 16<\/a><\/p>\n

France\u2019s Kylian Mbapp\u00e9 mostly deflected, suggesting players weren\u2019t in the best position to make a judgment. <\/span><\/p>\n

Coaches have often been more positive, as the breaks give them two extra chances to address their teams.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThese hydration breaks for three minutes, you can get the players close to you and this gives you an opportunity to adjust a couple of things,\u201d said French coach Didier Deschamps. \u201cWith the high temperatures, it\u2019s important to be able to give this extra opportunity, two opportunities to the head coach. It\u2019s a good thing \u2014 this is a fact, but it leads us to split the game and if you\u2019re in a strong position, following this break you have to start playing again.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Perhaps the staunchest critic among the coaches was Uruguay\u2019s Marcelo Bielsa.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWith the new rules there are lots of goals \u2014 so be it,\u201d he said. \u201cAccording to the general consensus, playing four periods instead of two alters the culturally constructed conception of how to interpret football.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIn my view, it adds nothing and takes away a lot. When [the match] was divided into four periods, no thought was given to the effect it might have on what makes football such a captivating sport, but instead to other repercussions which I\u2019m neither discussing nor analyzing.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

While responses among players and coaches are mixed, the reaction of fans has been overwhelmingly negative, as evidenced by the frequent booing of the breaks.<\/span><\/p>\n

Related: <\/span><\/span>More World Cup coverage<\/div>\n

In Foxborough, those in charge of in-game entertainment have seemingly caught on and adjusted. During the last two games \u2014 France vs. Norway and Germany vs. Paraguay \u2014 music has kicked in much earlier. As soon as the referee blows and signals for a hydration break, Bon Jovi\u2019s \u201cLiving on a Prayer\u201d or some version of \u201cHey! Baby\u201d have made the booing much more difficult to hear.<\/span><\/p>\n

In a statement to the Globe, FIFA said it has continued to operate as usual.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDuring scheduled pauses in play, including hydration breaks, the stadium continues to operate as it would at other stoppages, with announcements, music, and other fan engagement activities managed in accordance with the venue\u2019s standard event presentation plan,\u201d the statement said.<\/span><\/p>\n

As a heat wave rolled through the United States, the hydration breaks made more sense. When France beat Paraguay in Philadelphia on Saturday, the temperature hovered around 100 degrees, with a few other matches this week played in the high 80s and low 90s. <\/span><\/p>\n

Whether fans will embrace them any more \u2014 or if they\u2019ll slowly just become an accepted part of the World Cup experience \u2014 remains to be seen.<\/span><\/p>\n

Read more US seeks \u2018revenge\u2019 for thrilling World Cup loss to Belgium 12 years ago<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Fans quickly sniffed out FIFA\u2019s thinly veiled excuse of \u201cplayer safety\u201d in hot conditions as a pretense for sneaking in extra commercials.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4385,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4386","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sport"],"yoast_head":"\nIs there anything World Cup fans despise more than the hydration breaks? 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