In the United States, we’re used to seeing breaks in the action during games to accomodate television broadcasts and the playing of commercials. But the continuous running of the clock in soccer has made cut-away commericals an impossibility until now. According to Henry Bushnell of The Athletic, FIFA is allowing broadcasters (including Fox Sports and Telemundo in the United States) to cut away to commercials during the three-minute hydration breaks in each half that will be in place for the 2026 World Cup taking place this summer.
Bushnell reports that sources have told him FIFA executives discussed the addition of the hydration breaks with broadcast networks, and that while broadcasters will be allowed to cut away to show commercials during the break, there are rules in place for how the networks can handle them:
Ad breaks should not start within the first 20 seconds of the referee’s whistle pausing play for the start of the break
Broadcasters have to return from break at least 30 seconds before the resumption of play
No Word Whether Broadcasters Will Cut Away For Commercial In World Cup
Broadcasters will not be obligated to cut away to commercial during the breaks, according to Bushnell. They can use the break for studio analysis, or shrink the match feed and show commercials in a picture-in-picture format. However, if they stay with the match feed in any way, the ads shown must be FIFA sponsors. But if networks do cut away to full-screen commercials, they can sell the time to anyone they choose.
According to Bushnell, neither Fox nor Telemundo have detailed how they’ll use the time during the hydration breaks.
The World Cup won’t be the first competition to have hydration breaks, but it will be the first for the hydration breaks to be three minutes in length. Matches in CONMEBOL, South America’s governing body for soccer, introduced 90-second hydration breaks late in 2025. Those breaks didn’t cut away for commercials.