Virgil van Dijk breaks silence on FIFA World Cup 2026 hydration breaks

The Netherlands skipper condemned the new practice introduced by FIFA, which has drawn the fans’ ire.

The FIFA World Cup 2026 has seen the global football body introduce several new rules, but one that has attracted near-universal criticism is the practice of mandated ‘hydration breaks’. Now, Netherlands captain Virgil van Dijk has echoed the fan frustration, labelling the move as “not great”.

Speaking to reporters after the Oranje’s 2-2 draw with Japan, the Liverpool defender spoke about the practice of broadcasters using the three-minute hydration breaks as an opportunity to show in-match advertisements.

“Hydration breaks are a bit interesting, because I was obviously watching almost all the games up until today, and every time going to commercials is a bit,” van Dijk said, “I really don’t like it. I think for the neutral watchers on TV it’s also not great.”

“If it’s really hot, obviously it would be good to put them in. But I think you have to look at it in every game separately, in my opinion,” he added. “But I think I’ve said enough already for that.”

Also Read: Netherlands 2-2 Japan: Five key takeaways from exciting draw in FIFA World Cup 2026

Hydration breaks – welfare or cash grab?

FIFA mandated three-minute hydration breaks at the 22-minute mark of each half. The governing body said that the measure has been put in place as “part of a focused attempt to ensure the best possible conditions for players, drawing upon the experiences of previous tournaments, including the recent FIFA Club World Cup.”

However, the practice has been termed a cash grab by fans and pundits, effectively converting a football game into four quarters instead of two halves. This has resulted in most broadcasters, including FOX Sports and Zee, breaking away to commercials.

FIFA allows broadcasters to show in-match advertisements, but they must return to the live match feed 30 seconds before the restart. However, in practice, this has often resulted in a few seconds of play being missed by the spectators.

This infamously happened during the Mexico vs South Africa opener, where FOX failed to air 40 seconds of action following the resumption of play from a hydration break.

Former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has been vocal in his criticism of the practice, implying that it has been instituted to serve the interests of the advertisers instead of fans or players.

“A World Cup match should flow like a river. Instead, we build dams right in the middle so commercials can get through,” Klopp told German broadcaster ZDF. “Football used to be the main event, but now it risks becoming the background music to an advertising show.”

Other people who have condemned the practice are former Spain midfielder Juan Mata and current USMNT head coach Mauricio Pochettino. The latter said that he “doesn’t like” the practice, terming it “unnecessary”.

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