SOCCER: Hydration breaks affect game more than I initially thought, says England's Tuchel

England coach Thomas Tuchel says FIFA’s mandatory hydration breaks are disrupting match rhythm and breaking momentum, arguing they divide games into “four quarters” and change football’s natural flow. He added that while useful in extreme heat, the breaks are now impacting matches even in milder conditions.

REUTERS

June 23, 2026

SOCCER: Hydration breaks affect game more than I initially thought, says England's Tuchel

England manager Thomas Tuchel speaks during a press conference ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2026 at Boston Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, U.S., on June 22, 2026.

Peter Cziborra / Reuters

FOXBOROUGH, Massachusetts — Hydration breaks introduced at this World Cup are having a greater impact on matches than initially expected, disrupting game rhythm and momentum, England coach Thomas Tuchel said on Monday.

FIFA has implemented three-minute hydration breaks in the middle of each half due to extreme temperatures across host cities in the United States, Canada and Mexico. However, the measure has divided opinion among coaches, players, and fans.

Critics argue the pauses effectively divide matches into four segments, while also creating extended stoppages that benefit broadcasters through additional commercial time. The issue has become a point of contention among traditionalists who believe it alters the flow of the game.

“I think that it (hydration break) interrupts and changes the identity of the football match much more than I thought,” Tuchel said during a press conference ahead of England’s Group L match against Ghana on Tuesday.

“I had, of course, hydration breaks before when it was really, really hot and needed, but they were shorter and only in a few matches. Now it breaks the match almost into four quarters, and I think it changes the characteristic of the match more than I expected.”

Although not all matches are played under extreme heat conditions, hydration breaks have been mandated for every game at the World Cup in the interest of fairness and consistency across venues.

Temperatures in Boston on Tuesday are not expected to exceed 20 degrees Celsius.

“I like it as a coach, of course, to have influence and have my team together, but overall I think I prefer football when it is played in one flow, in one half, because it builds momentum,” Tuchel said.

“It is hard to build momentum, and it is hard to keep it. It plays out over a longer period of time, and it just adds to the character of the beautiful game. I think it takes away from that.” -Reporting by Karolos Grohmann, editing by Ed Osmond/Reuters