MANDATORY DRINK BREAKS: FIFA ADDS TWO 3-MINUTE HALFTIME PAUSES FOR 2026 WORLD CUP
The 2026 World Cup will feature two mandatory 3-minute hydration breaks in each half, regardless of temperature, prioritising player safety and tactics.
The next World Cup will be a bit different. One change is the addition of two set drink breaks each match.
FIFA announced Sunday that these breaks will be required. They'll happen at the midpoint of each half and last three minutes.
The game clock won't stop, but three minutes will be tacked on to the end of each half as stoppage time.
This decision came after discussions at the World Cup draw in Washington, D.C., where national team coaches and broadcasters were present.
Everyone seemed to agree it was a good idea, especially FIFA's medical team, who emphasised player safety.
These breaks also give coaches a chance to chat strategy with their teams.
Each half of the 2026 World Cup matches will have a mandatory three-minute drink break.
The Club World Cup showed that players had a tough time with the heat during midday games in the United States, which was 5 p.m. or 8 p.m. in the UK.
That tournament this summer got some heat of its own when managers and players struggled with high temperatures during those midday games in the U.S.
Even if the weather's nice during the World Cup, FIFA is keeping the drink breaks.
FIFA said Sunday night that there wouldn't be any weather rules. Referees will call the breaks in every game to keep things fair for all teams.
Manolo Zubiria, FIFA's chief tournament officer for the 2026 World Cup, told broadcasters that the breaks would last three minutes, from whistle to whistle, in both halves.
He added that if someone gets hurt around the 20th or 21st minute, the ref would handle it then and there, according to FIFA.
During the Club World Cup, Paris Saint-Germain's coach, Luis Enrique, moaned about the heat after beating Atletico Madrid 4-0 in a midday game in Los Angeles. The temperature was close to 40 degrees Celsius with 60 per cent humidity.
He said that the temperature clearly affected the match, and while the time was good for European viewers, it wasn't good for the teams.
Chelsea midfielder Enzo Maresca felt dizzy due to the heat and said it was hard to play at a high level for the entire 90 minutes.
Argentina said the heat was dangerous for players, fans, and the game itself. The speed of the game slowed down.
CRISTIANO RONALDO PROTESTS AL-HILAL'S BENZEMA DEAL BY SKIPPING AL-NASSR LEAGUE MATCH
Cristiano Ronaldo is fuming. Discover why the Al-Nassr star skipped his last match and is now threatening to leave Saudi Arabia.
Cristiano Ronaldo has been the main attraction in the Saudi Pro League ever since he landed in the Middle East three years ago. Now, for the first time, it looks like he’s actually thinking about leaving. He’s frustrated. He feels the playing field isn’t level, and it’s starting to get to him.
Here’s the deal: Four clubs in the league—Al-Ittihad, Al-Nassr, Al-Hilal, and Al-Ahli—get their backing straight from the state. But Ronaldo sat out Al-Nassr’s match against Al-Riyadh on Monday night. Why? He was protesting. He found out Al-Hilal was about to sign Karim Benzema from Al-Ittihad, and that was the last straw. From Ronaldo’s perspective, Al-Hilal keeps getting more freedom to splash cash than everyone else. They’re the current champions, and Ronaldo still hasn’t managed to win his first Saudi title.
Saudi officials tried to calm him down. According to Diario AS, they reached out and argued that most of Al-Hilal’s extra spending comes from Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal, not the Public Investment Fund (PIF). Al-Hilal just brought in Kader Meite for €30 million, Saimon Bouabre for €23 million, and now Benzema. Al-Nassr, on the other hand, only managed two free transfers this winter. Sure, they spent a lot more in the summer, but that didn’t seem to matter to Ronaldo.
Reports from Portugal, cited by AS, say Ronaldo’s not ruling anything out—not even leaving Saudi Arabia this summer. That’s despite just signing an extension with Al-Nassr until 2027.
And honestly, he has a point. Since he arrived, Al-Hilal have spent €647 million, while Al-Nassr have shelled out €410 million and Al-Ittihad €365 million. These numbers probably don’t include salaries—and let’s face it, nobody’s making more than Ronaldo. He’s supposed to return on Friday when Al-Nassr face Al-Ittihad, but right now, no one really knows if he’ll play or if he’s planning his next move.
N’GOLO KANTE SKIPS TRAINING AS AL-ITTIHAD BLOCK HIS MOVE TO FENERBAHCE OFFICIALLY
N’Golo Kante has gone on strike at Al-Ittihad after a paperwork error blocked his move to Fenerbahce. Can he still sign by Friday?
N’Golo Kanté didn’t show up for Al-Ittihad training on Tuesday, and it’s not hard to see why. He was all set to head to Fenerbahçe, but the deal fell apart at the last minute—apparently because Al-Ittihad messed up some paperwork. Kante was supposed to fly to Istanbul and sign, but thanks to this administrative slip, he’s stuck in limbo. There’s still a shot at reviving the transfer sinceKanté Turkey’s transfer window stays open until Friday, February 6.
Kante was one of the first big European names to jump to the Saudi Pro League, joining Al-Ittihad in 2023 after seven years with Chelsea. He’s been a key player in Jeddah, helping Al-Ittihad win the 2024-25 league title and the King’s Cup.
Then, in the middle of the January window, word got out that Fenerbahce wanted him. The Turkish club were eager to add a World Cup winner to their squad. The plan was to swap Kante for Youssef En-Nesyri, who’d head to Saudi Arabia. Everything seemed set until deadline day, when news broke that an error by Al-Ittihad in the Transfer Matching System stopped the transfer cold.
Fenerbahce didn’t hold back. They blamed Al-Ittihad directly, saying they’d done everything right: agreements with the players, medicals, paperwork, all wrapped up on time. But Al-Ittihad entered something wrong in the system, and that was that. Fenerbahçe even asked for an extension and reached out to FIFA, but nothing moved. In the end, the deal died, and Fenerbahçe put out a statement saying they understood the frustration and would keep working to strengthen the squad.
Meanwhile, Kante’s making his feelings clear. According to Ben Jacobs, he skipped training on Tuesday, still hoping the move to Fenerbahce can happen. Santi Aouna says talks between the clubs aren’t dead yet. L’Equipe is reporting that Kanté doesn’t want to play for Al-Ittihad while he waits for FIFA’s decision. With the Turkish window open until Friday, there’s still a glimmer of hope for Kante, though En-Nesyri’s move is off the table for now.