Doctors recommend active adults drink between 80 and 100 ounces of water daily, and Rupert Murdoch couldn’t agree more.
Thanks to the FIFA-mandated three-minute hydration breaks during the ongoing World Cup, Murdoch’s Fox and Fox Sports channels are on track to pocket an additional $250 million from the extra commercials, according to Front Office Sports.
To keep players, fans, and staff safe, tournament chiefs have adapted to the rising heat risks with more evening matches in hotter cities and one mandatory hydration break per half. Furthermore, matches may be postponed if the wet–bulb globe temperature (WBGT) – a measurement of humid heat – hits 89.6°F (32°C).
But while those decisions have been well received, the three-minute hydration breaks have been slammed by soccer fans as a needless interruption and obvious cash grab. Public reaction was at its worst during the opener between Mexico and South Africa, when Fox was late cutting back to commercial and fans missed several seconds of action.
‘Fox Sports was playing so many commercials during the hydration break that the game restarted before they were done,’ one fan wrote. ‘Enough, man. Stop this f***ing nonsense.’
‘Is @FOXSports seriously showing commercials in the middle of a half of World Cup football? What the f*** is going on? This is embarrassing,’ said another.
Virgil van Dijk #4 of Netherlands reacts after the 2-2 draw during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group F match between Netherlands and Japan at Dallas Stadium on June 14
Thanks to the FIFA-mandated three-minute hydration breaks during the ongoing World Cup, Murdoch’s Fox and Fox Sports channels are reportedly on track to pocket an additional $250m
Austria coach Ralf Rangnick speaks to players during a hydration break
‘Commercial breaks mid match during the hydration breaks are going to ruin this world cup for Americans. Disgusting practice from Fox….’ posted a third.
According to The Athletic’s Henry Bushnell, FIFA’s rules for broadcasters during hydration breaks are that any cut-away ad break should not start within 20 seconds of the referee’s whistle pausing play, and the match feed should return more than 30 seconds before play resumes.
Fox’s timings broke those rules in the first match of 104 it will show over the next five weeks, and they failed to follow FIFA’s regulations again in the second.
When South Korea faced Czechia in Guadalajara later on Thursday evening, Fox again chose to cut away from their coverage in the first hydration break, but they did so within 20 seconds of the referee’s whistle before returning merely a couple of seconds prior to the restart.
It is unclear whether there will be any punishment from FIFA over the rule breaks.
Unlike Fox, Telemundo – the Spanish-language rightsholder in the US – promised to not cut to full-screen commercials during the hydration breaks, although it could use some picture-in-picture ads.
Sports Business Journal reported on Thursday that Fox will use some of the hydration breaks for commercials and others for mid-game analysis.
The broadcasters also came under fire for not showing the performance featuring Shakira as well as Burna Boy, J Balvin and other artists. Telemundo, meanwhile, showed it in full.
Fox instead cut to four of its World Cup analysts – including soccer legends Thierry Henry and Zlatan Ibrahimovic – from an empty stadium in Los Angeles during the performance.
