@guardiansport: Hydration breaks introduced at the World Cup did not impact the flow of play nor did they have an effect on the results of matches but their future is still undecided, Arsène Wenger said on Saturday. Speaking at a press conference before the World Cup final between Spain and Argentina at the New York New Jersey Stadium, the former Arsenal coach and Fifa's current chief of global football development said the world governing body would review them after the tournament, before taking a decision on whether to use them in future competitions. Fifa made three-minute hydration breaks midway through each half mandatory in every 2026 World Cup match but they were not universally embraced. Critics said the breaks, which essentially divided the game into four quarters, impacted momentum and allowed broadcasters to benefit from commercial breaks for over two minutes while fans in some stadiums booed during hydration breaks in the tournament. "No," Wenger said when asked whether they had any impact on the game. "Sometimes they did not like them and we have to analyse after the World Cup what is the impact. "It did not look to me that hydration breaks changed the results of the competitions. But we are here to serve people who watch football," he said. During the tournament, Spain’s coach Luis de la Fuente and the Netherlands captain Virgil van Dijk supported the intent behind the rule in extreme heat, but questioned the need for it in cooler conditions and at covered venues. England’s coach Thomas Tuchel said they had a bigger impact than initially anticipated and broke the moment of matches. The Uruguay coach Marcelo Bielsa was even more critical, saying the breaks had added nothing to football while destroying the sport's cultural essence. #fifaworldcup #worldcup #worldcup2026

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Sunday 19 July 2026 09:15:03 GMT