2026 World Cup and Qualifiers

i suppose if you have to have it for all if one match has it so games are played under same rules

im sure there were Water breaks in 94 when the irish were there or am i going mad


Oh no Big Jack got in trouble for trying to give players water

https://www.thesun.ie/sport/17120264/jac...ch%20half.

Hydration breaks = code for ad breaks in the US.

They have something called picture in picture that they could use if the USA broadcasters insisted on as breaks

They used Picture in Picture for the 1994 World Cup. I guess that wasn’t good enough for them this time.

Of all the rule changes, this is the one that grates the most. It’s not needed, it’s stridently commercial, and it disadvantages whatever team has the momentum in that moment.

The us broadcasters wanted it in 94 but FIFA said no. More corrupt FIFA nowadays took the money and said yes. As mentioned the game is now 4 quarters. 3 mins, just enough time for a few lucrative ads. Of course now it interrupts the flow of the game and teams are basically getting free team talks. How on earth did we manage the past 150+ years.

In the Bosnia vs Switzerland match in the second half momentum was with Bosnia before the hydration break. The weather conditions were not particularly hot. Had the hydration break not happened Bosnia might have won, rather than lose 4 - 1.

A lot of the games including this one have been pretty shit before the hydration breaks

I still don't see the point of having hydration break when it's being played under a roof with controlled condtions and air conditioning

sometimes I think ad breaks are just there to remind the Tangoed One to order his big Macs

how many games have you watched and felt it was too one sided to watch it any further?

I can't believe that I'll be supporting Australia and Scotland tonight. Really.

Save the beers for Scotland (Or the coffee!)