🏆 The 2026 FIFA World Cup is shaping up to be the most commercially driven tournament in the competition’s history. Under the leadership of FIFA President Gianni Infantino, the governing body has introduced a series of unprecedented changes that critics say prioritize revenue and US broadcast preferences over the sport’s traditions and the interest of matchgoing fans.

In what many see as a transparent attempt to accommodate US broadcasters, FIFA announced that every match in the 2026 World Cup will feature a mandatory three-minute “ hydration break ” in each half, regardless of weather conditions. The breaks will occur at the 22-minute mark of both halves, effectively dividing the traditional 90-minute match into four quarters. While FIFA claims the measure prioritizes “player welfare,” the timing is suspect, as is the place — the breaks were announced at the World Broadcaster Meeting in Washington DC.

As multiple outlets have noted, the three-minute windows align perfectly with standard commercial break lengths used in US sports broadcasting. “The uniform break in action theoretically creates another ad placement opportunity for Fox, the tournament rights holder,” writes Front Office Sports.

The move gives Fox, the tournament’s US broadcast rights holder, predictableadvertising inventory they can sell at premium prices, converting what has always been continuous action into a format more familiar to US audiences accustomed to NFL-style quarter breaks. “A three-minute slot closely aligns with the standard quarter break of [US] professional leagues. For example, the break between quarters in the NBA is 2 minutes and 30 seconds,” noted FOS.

FIFA has previously only used cooling breaks in extreme heat conditions, such as at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil and during last summer’s Club World Cup. But in 2026, hydration breaks will occur in every match… including those played in climate-controlled domed stadiums. Football fans have been quick to condemn the decision. As one outlet put it, the hydration breaks “fundamentally misunderstand both the sport and its appeal.” Social media reactions were equally scathing, with fans calling it “purely for adverts” and a “disastrous move” that disrupts the rhythm essential to quality football.

In another unprecedented break with tradition, FIFA announced that the 2026 World Cup finale will feature the tournament’s first-ever halftime show — a clear borrowing from the US Super Bowl playbook. Infantino called it “a historic moment for the FIFA World Cup and a show befitting the biggest sporting event in the world,” and, of course, the expected global audience of 2 bn viewers, many of whom are not impressed. The halftime show is uniquely American and is more suited to casual viewers who might tune in once every four years for the spectacle rather than football fans watching for the sport.

FIFA has also announced it will “take over” Times Square in Manhattan for the finals weekend, featuring additional performances and transforming the tournament into an entertainment extravaganza rather than a purely sporting event, and diluting the sport’s traditional intensity and purity, according to fans.

Perhaps no decision better encapsulates FIFA’s new priorities than the creation of a FIFA Peace Prize seemingly specifically to be awarded to US President Donald Trump. On 5 December at the World Cup draw ceremony, Infantino presented Trump with the inaugural award, calling it recognition for “exceptional and extraordinary action of peace” right as the US struck yet another Venezuelan vessel in the Eastern Pacific, killing four, and repeatedly saying that the military will soon begin striking targets inside Venezuela.

Trump openly campaigned for the Nobel Peace Prize earlier this year, but was passed over in favor of Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado. Infantino had publicly stated on Instagram that Trump “definitely deserves” the Nobel. The close relationship between Infantino and Trump is undeniable, with the former attending the US president’s inauguration, bringing the Club World Cup trophy to the White House for Trump to display, and joining him in Egypt for Gaza ceasefire celebrations.

Multiple reports suggest that senior FIFA officials were caught off-guard by the FIFA Peace Prize announcement, learning about it through media reports. Infantino reportedly bypassed the FIFA Council to create and award the prize, according to Politico, with even vice presidents learning about decisions only after they were made.

Fans, FIFA officials, and human rights groups alike condemned the move, with former UN official Craig Mokhiber calling it “truly shameful,” noting the organization’s complicity in failing to act on Israel’s genocide against Palestinians. The advocacy group FairSquare filed a formal ethics complaint against Infantino, accusing him of repeatedly breaching FIFA’s statutory duty to remain politically neutral.

Infantino’s actions position FIFA as “a public relations tool to normalize an increasingly authoritarian US government,” wrote The Nation. And with the 2026 World Cup expected to earn more than USD 10 bn for FIFA, critics argue that Infantino is simply currying favor with a powerful host nation leader who could impact logistics, visas, and other tournament operations, turning the “beautiful game” into a corporate product first and sport second.

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