For the first time in World Cup history, television viewers watched commercials air during a match.
The change came Thursday during the tournament opener between Mexico and South Africa, when broadcasters used FIFA’s newly introduced hydration breaks to cut to full-screen advertisements. The move sparked immediate backlash from fans who argued the interruptions undermined one of soccer’s defining features: 45 minutes of uninterrupted play.
The controversy is the latest example of how this year’s tournament is taking on a different feel on and off the pitch, with new broadcast practices during matches and other entertainment-focused changes planned for later in the competition.
FIFA announced in December that each half would feature three-minute water breaks in an effort to prioritize “player welfare.” The North American feed of the opening match caught many viewers by surprise when broadcasters used the stoppages to run commercial breaks.
Hydration breaks aren’t exactly new to the sport and were first introduced to the World Cup in 2014 due to extreme heat in Brazil, but the camera would previously stay on the players as they talked strategy.
The stoppages this year come at the 22-minute mark at each half and will take place regardless of the weather, even if the match is being played at an indoor stadium, as FIFA says it wants to ensure equal rules for all games. Critics on social media say the breaks are just an excuse to squeeze in as much commercial revenue as possible in a sport known for 45 minutes of uninterrupted play.
The Fox Sports feed, shown on TSN in Canada, even missed some of the game action during the second half of the opening game. After Raúl Jiménez’s 67th-minute goal, the network quickly transitioned into the hydration break but did not cut back to the pitch until play had already resumed, forcing fans to miss about 10 seconds of the action.
The Star reached out to TSN and Fox Sports for comment, but did not hear back in time for publication.
“Truly embarrassing and a huge shame,” X user Kevin Shaw wrote under Fox Sports’ post showing the first mandatory break.
“America ruined football man this is sad,” another user wrote in a post that generated nearly six thousand likes.
The post sparked hundreds of critical comments from viewers who said the commercials interrupted the flow of the game. Many commenters praised Telemundo, the Spanish-language rights holder in North America, for not cutting away during the breather. The network instead placed an ad at the bottom of the screen while showing scenes from the inside stadium.
“This World Cup is ours, we’re not taking a break from it,” the network’s announcers said during the first break.
The changes are among several innovations FIFA has introduced for the 2026 tournament as it adapts the event for North American broadcast audiences. FIFA has also announced a halftime entertainment show for the July 19 final in New Jersey, featuring performances by BTS, Shakira and Madonna.
The show, the first ever at the World Cup, extends half-time from 15 minutes to 30 minutes, though broadcasters in England have rejected the move. The BBC will reportedly not show the concert and instead stay on their studio show to analyze the first half action.
Some changes have garnered a warmer reaction from fans. The ref cam that’s been deployed for the first time at the tournament has been praised for giving viewers a chance to see the game from a fresh perspective.
The officiating crew will have a small camera attached to their headset for every game, with the first-person view shown throughout the match. FIFA experimented with the ref cams during last year’s Club World Cup, though the MLS first tried the technology in 2013.
