Why World Cup Matches Are Paused for Cooling Breaks

World Cup viewers have been noticing regular three-minute stoppages, known as cooling breaks, and FIFA says they are there to protect players’ health. The 2026 tournament is being played in the summer in the United States, Mexico and Canada, where some host cities are expected to face high heat and humidity.

FIFA has decided that every match will include a three-minute break in each half, around the 22nd and 67th minutes, even if the game is held in an air-conditioned stadium or in comfortable weather. The idea is to keep conditions uniform across the tournament, and the article says this could become a football standard as global warming worsens.

According to the report, some people view the measure as an American-style change, similar to basketball or American football, where play is divided into quarters. During the breaks, players can drink, cool down and reduce the risk of dehydration or heat illness. The clock does not stop the way it does in basketball, the lost time is added later in stoppage time.

Coaches can also use the pauses for tactical instructions, which makes the breaks feel like basketball timeouts to viewers. The article says that after the group stage there will be more clarity on the tactical impact, and it notes that creative coaches such as Thomas Tuchel in England and Luis de la Fuente in Spain likely already thought about it. The piece adds that while the breaks are technically still part of two halves, the interval between them resembles the breaks between quarters in basketball. Critics also see a commercial motive, since fixed stoppages create convenient windows for broadcasts and advertisements, but FIFA’s official explanation remains player safety and welfare.