Bet this is going to go down well.
" Matches cut in 4: FIFA imposes chopped football… and it’s going to get hot in the stands
Football will discover a new “pause” button at the next World Cup. Each half will be stopped for three minutes, systematically, whether it’s 35 degrees… or rain. FIFA invokes the protection of players. Others are already hearing the jingle, made for coaching… and advertising screens.
The announcement was made in Washington during a meeting with broadcasters. Manolo Zubiria, Chief Tournament Officer for the 2026 World Cup, clarified the system:
The new “time-out”
- Mandatory break after 22 minutes in each period.
- Beginning and end announced by a whistle from the referee.
- Possible exception if the game is already interrupted at that time (for example due to an injury), the break can be “timed” to this stoppage.
FIFA stresses that this decision is part of a logic of player protection, based on the experience of the last Club World Cup in the United States, where the heat made teeth grind.
The real debate: simple hydration… or pop-up?
For the moment, FIFA does not say that these breaks will be used to sell spots. But it sets up a very clear television object: a planned, timed, repeatable stoppage, match after match. And that, in the world of TV rights, is never trivial.
Three minutes is a long time, long enough to…
- Breaking the rhythm of a strong beat
- Offer a mini “coaching time” to coaches
- And above all, to create a pub space, like in US sports.
What it changes concretely for fans
With these breaks, we will have to expect more choppy (and more tactical) matches, added time that climbs, and a permanent debate between two visions of football: the fluid game against the spectacle calibrated for television.
Another strong signal
FIFA wants to make the 2026 World Cup an XXL “American-style” event. She also confirmed: three Opening Ceremonies, one per host country, in Mexico City on June 11, 2026 before the opening match, and then on June 12, 2026 in Toronto and Los Angeles.
And the big news? A show at half-time of the final, scheduled for July 19 at the New York – New Jersey stadium."
