FIFA’s water breaks are turning into a huge advertising windfall

A BBC report says the controversial water breaks at the 2026 World Cup, introduced at first to cope with intense heat in North America, are now expected to generate major advertising revenue for broadcasters and FIFA. Although players, coaches and fans have complained that the pauses disrupt momentum, the breaks are likely to remain part of the tournament, even in matches without extreme heat.

According to the estimate cited by the BBC, television networks in the United States alone could make about $250 million from commercials placed during these breaks. Globally, the total from World Cup advertising during the month-long tournament could reach about $1 billion. FIFA’s rules allow the water breaks to last about three minutes.

Under the current regulations, ads can start 20 seconds after the referee signals the break and must finish 30 seconds before play resumes. That leaves room for roughly eight 30-second commercials in each match, or 832 commercials across the tournament. The BBC report said a typical ad on Fox, the U.S. World Cup broadcaster, costs between $200,000 and $300,000 per regular match, and can rise to $750,000 for U.S. national team games and knockout rounds.

Sports writer and broadcast expert Dennis Deninger said Fox paid $485 million for the U.S. rights, adding that recovering $250 million just from water-break ads makes the deal worthwhile. He argued that FIFA will be able to demand more for future rights deals because broadcasters can now earn extra money from these pauses. "There is no going back," he said, because when there is a chance to make more money, no one will choose to make less.