Tuchel slams hydration breaks as identity-changing
England head coach Thomas Tuchel has strongly criticised the mandatory hydration breaks introduced at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, stating that they "interrupt and change the identity of a football match." Speaking in a video posted by Sky Sports News, Tuchel expressed his disapproval of the breaks, which are implemented in all 104 matches of the tournament regardless of weather conditions or the presence of air-conditioned stadiums.
"I think that it interrupts and changes the identity of a football match much more than I thought. Of course, I had hydration breaks before when it was really, really hot and needed, but they were shorter. They were just in a few matches. Now it is a point of fairness to every team. Now it breaks the match almost in four quarters, and it changes the characteristic of the match more than I thought," Tuchel said.
Breaks occur in every match despite conditions
In the ongoing FIFA World Cup, each match is stopped once in each half for a hydration break, irrespective of the temperature or whether the stadium is air-conditioned. An exception was made during the France versus Iraq clash on Monday, when the break was aborted because the match had already faced a two-hour delay following a thunderstorm in Philadelphia.
The breaks have met with boos from fans at various matches across the group stage. Critics argue that commercial breaks have been added by stealth for television viewers, disrupting the flow of the game.
Scaloni admits difficulty adapting
Lionel Scaloni, head coach of Argentina, also acknowledged the challenges posed by the hydration breaks. Ahead of Argentina's match against Austria on Monday, Scaloni admitted he is still adjusting to the impact of the stoppages.
"Everything that I have in my mind can change depending on these 22, 23 minutes," Scaloni told reporters on Sunday, according to Reuters. "We have people analysing the game, and we look for solutions. It is what you do in a normal halftime. It is for those who want to attack because you can amend certain things. It is weird to adapt to that. It is something that, if we do it more, it will become normal. I do not think this is normal to us yet."
Scaloni added, "We're trying to analyse things and correct things. Sometimes the match changes in the first period itself, and you can amend certain things. I understand it will change."
