Extended World Cup final half-time break raises injury risk for players, physiology expert warns

A leading physiology expert has warned that the extended half-time interval planned for Sunday’s World Cup final at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey could meaningfully increase injury risk and reduce performance levels for both Argentina and Spain.

FIFA’s plans for an 11-minute entertainment show during the break are expected to push the interval to between 25 and 30 minutes — nearly double the 15-minute maximum stipulated in the sport’s own regulations.

Dr Liam Harper, a senior lecturer in physiology at Manchester Metropolitan University’s Institute of Sport, told the Press Association that the extended pause poses a clear physiological problem. “We know a 15-minute half-time period is enough to reduce muscle temperatures back towards resting levels,” he said, adding that with a longer break “this reduction in muscle temperature will be potentially more pronounced.”

Dr Harper explained that elevated muscle temperature is central to peak athletic output, being “associated with increased power output and rate of force development” — the same principle that makes pre-match warm-ups effective for both injury prevention and performance. A mid-game cooling of muscles, he cautioned, carries different risks from the pre-kick-off gap players are used to managing.

The concern is compounded by match-day temperatures expected to reach around 30 degrees Celsius, which would ordinarily make cooling core body temperature a priority during a standard 15-minute break. The longer interval, Dr Harper acknowledged, does offer some upside: players would have more time to refuel with carbohydrates, rehydrate, and receive tactical instruction from coaching staff.

To offset the negative effects, Dr Harper recommended FIFA allow players a two-to-four-minute re-warm-up before the second half resumes. “Doing a re warm-up has been shown to be beneficial for sprint and jump performance versus not doing any sort of physical re warm-up prior to the second half,” he said.

He also suggested that foam rollers and percussive therapy devices such as massage guns could help players “maintain range of motion, neuromuscular efficiency and just a general feeling of staying loose,” citing supporting data for both methods.

The final between Argentina and Spain is the centrepiece of the 2026 World Cup, hosted across the United States, Canada, and Mexico.