FIFA’s water breaks could generate massive ad revenue at the 2026 World Cup

A BBC report, cited in a Sport 5 article published Friday, says the World Cup’s new water breaks could become a huge source of advertising income for broadcasters and FIFA. The breaks were introduced to combat intense heat in North America, but they have continued even in matches without hot conditions, and are expected to remain part of the tournament.

According to the report, water breaks last about three minutes. FIFA’s rules allow commercials to run 20 seconds after the referee signals the break, and they must end 30 seconds before play resumes. That creates room for about eight 30-second ads in each match, or 832 ads across the tournament’s water breaks.

BBC experts estimated that U.S. broadcasters alone could earn about $250 million from those ad slots, while global revenue could reach $1 billion over the month-long World Cup. The estimate is based largely on Fox, which carries the tournament in the United States, where a standard ad is expected to cost $200,000 to $300,000 per match, rising to $750,000 for U.S. national team games and the knockout rounds.

The breaks have drawn criticism from coaches, players, and fans, who say they interrupt momentum and have been met with boos in stadiums and backlash online. But sports media author Dennis Denninger told BBC that Fox paid $485 million for the broadcast rights, and recouping $250 million just from water-break ads makes the deal worthwhile. He said FIFA will be able to demand more money in its next rights negotiation because broadcasters can now monetize the breaks. “There is no going back,” he said, adding that when there is a chance to make more money, “nobody will say, let’s make less.”