2026 World Cup: cooling breaks hijacked for American advertising

From the kick-off of the 2026 World Cup, the cooling breaks introduced by FIFA sparked fierce controversy: American broadcaster Fox aired up to five commercials during the second interruption of the opening match, preventing its viewers from seeing the resumption of play.

Yet FIFA had presented these breaks as a health measure. Announced in December by Manolo Zubiria, the tournament’s competition director, they were supposed to last three minutes per half, triggered by a referee’s whistle “regardless of where the match is taking place, the temperature or the presence of a roof”. Their systematic nature had already raised doubts about their true commercial purpose.

The opening match fueled these suspicions. According to The Athletic, Brazilian referee Wilton Sampaio was in contact with a coordinator on the sideline to synchronize the resumption of play with Fox’s return to air. He ultimately blew the whistle to resume after nearly an additional minute of waiting, even though the broadcaster had not yet finished its commercial breaks — leaving part of the American audience in the dark.

These breaks, sold at premium prices by FIFA, also irritate coaching staffs. Didier Deschamps had expressed his reservations last spring: “It changes football to have these three minutes. No matter the team, if it’s in a strong period, three minutes breaks everything. We’re playing four quarters instead of two halves. It can help if you’re not playing well, but if you’re close to breaking down your opponent…”

Originally launched in 2014 to protect players during extreme weather conditions, cooling breaks have therefore changed in nature in 2026: now mandatory in all stadiums and in all weather, they are established as a television monetization tool as much as a medical precaution — and the tournament’s first match has brought this ambiguity into sharp focus.