FIFA have been flamed for the introduction of hydration breaks at this World Cup, and now Gianni Infantino has released a statement.
Mandatory three-minute stoppages in the 22nd and 67th minute of every match have chopped games into quarters, and the stop-start rhythm has irritated players, coaches and supporters alike. The pauses have also handed broadcasters a fresh window to run adverts.
To plenty of watching fans, the breaks look like a money grab — and given FIFA's recent direction, that suspicion was always going to take hold. Less surprising still is that Infantino has now stepped in to insist money has nothing to do with it.
This is not the first defense Infantino has had to mount in recent weeks.
Through the build-up he stood by the tournament's steep ticket prices and the dynamic pricing behind them, arguing the revenue funds the development of soccer worldwide. The hydration breaks slot into the same pattern — an unpopular, commercially convenient call presented as something nobler.
On the breaks specifically, Infantino was adamant the broadcast windows put no extra money in FIFA's pocket.
He said, per the Guardian : "There is no additional revenue for FIFA, as all commercial agreements were signed well in advance. So, this is not a financial issue for us. For us, it is purely a sporting matter."
Whether fans accept that may depend on what they already know. Reports during the group stage had some ad slots selling for $750,000 during United States games — the kind of figure that explains why a three-minute pause has drawn so much attention off the pitch.
Infantino's wider case leans on the calendar and the climate.
He added: "The main reason is the heat, but we also have to understand that in a competition like the World Cup, played over 39 days, with teams potentially playing eight matches in those 39 days, having a moment to rest is extremely important."
Photo by Alex Gottschalk/DeFodi Images/DeFodi via Getty Images
He also framed the breaks as a question of fairness.
Infantino said: "What matters even more to us is ensuring that all teams, in every match, are playing under the same conditions.
"It's very difficult to accept that a coach might have the opportunity to influence a match by making adjustments simply because it's hotter, while in another match, where the temperature is slightly lower, the same coach doesn't have the same opportunity."
Within any single match, the break applies to both teams equally, so neither side gains an edge from a stoppage they both take.
The only real inconsistency is between matches — and the simplest fix is the one UEFA has confirmed for Euro 2028 , which is to tie any break to an actual temperature reading rather than making it automatic.
The stoppages have already been impacting results in a clear pattern, with momentum repeatedly shifting soon after play resumes. Hardly the picture of a tournament unaffected by its new rhythm.
FIFA's track record on commercial decisions does not invite much trust. Whatever the official line, the hydration breaks still look a lot like commercial reasoning dressed up as something else.
READ MORE: FIFA World Cup hydration breaks are nothing more than a money-grabbing social experiment
