# FIFA World Cup 2026 - discussion etc **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Tags:** football-soccer-fifa\ **Created:** [October 14, 2025, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962 "2025-10-14T15:43:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 24
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2026, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/461 "2026-06-11T20:06:36Z")
I mean, it is hot. Players need it. Even if it is Paris temperature, it’s always better with than without. ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2026, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/462 "2026-06-11T20:08:45Z")
Funny, they didn’t need it in the previous 22 World Cups. But suuure, FIFA has nothing but the health of the players in mind. Now tell us another one. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2026, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/463 "2026-06-11T20:11:06Z")
^^ This. I’ve never seen a football player collapse by dehydration, and I’ve seen thousands of games, sometimes in much more critical weather. ---
**Author:** ![Frosted\_Glass](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frosted_glass/32/3926_2.png) [@Frosted\_Glass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frosted_Glass)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2026, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/464 "2026-06-11T20:19:45Z")
I don’t understand why they’re taking breaks every game and I HATE the ads that they slipped in, but I’m kind of surprised the less casual fans are pretending the water breaks were just invented out of nowhere: > **[World Cup 2014: Heat forces first cooling breaks in Brazil](https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/28075216)** > > Extreme heat sees the first cooling breaks at the World Cup during the match between Netherlands and Mexico. > **[World Cup 2014: Cooling breaks key to Netherlands win - Van Gaal](https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/28082492)** > > Louis van Gaal says he used cooling breaks to alter the Netherlands' tactics in their dramatic World Cup win over Mexico. The first implementation was a big deal at the time and I remember lots of conversation about it. At least it was temperature based in Brazil (32 C). ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2026, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/465 "2026-06-11T20:20:36Z")
It’s 80F/27C in Mexico City right now. That undoubtably can cause problems when exercising hard without water breaks. There’s no need for some “tough it out” mentality when players’ health is at risk, even if it’s been done that way in the past. I have no doubt the breaks were added for advertising first and safety second, but I’m not going to complain about them. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2026, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/466 "2026-06-11T20:22:50Z")
> [@Frosted\_Glass](#): > > I’m kind of surprised the less casual fans are pretending the water breaks were just invented out of nowhere: ??? Who is pretending that water breaks were invented out of nowhere? The point is that despite much controversy about temperatures in Qatar during the world cup, there were _no water breaks at all during the tournament_, yet here in Mexico, the US, and _Canada_ we will be having mandatory water breaks in every half. ---
**Author:** ![filmore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7993a0/32.png) [@filmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmore)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2026, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/467 "2026-06-11T20:22:53Z")
Regardless of why the breaks were added, they seem like a good thing from the perspective of player’s health. ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2026, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/468 "2026-06-11T20:24:37Z")
> [@Frodo](#): > > Funny, they didn’t need it in the previous 22 World Cups. They’ve been used before. > Cooling breaks were first introduced in the 2014 World Cup, which was held in Brazil. The first game which used the break was Netherlands vs Mexico, in which Portuguese referee Pedro Polenca called a breather after temperatures of 39 degrees celsius were recorded at the Estadio Castelao in Fortaleza. This break lasted for around five minutes, although things have been sped up over more recent seasons. [Link](https://en.as.com/soccer/cooling-break-in-qatar-2022-world-cup-why-do-they-stop-in-the-middle-of-the-game-for-how-long-n/) They were also used in Qatar, if the temperature reached a certain point. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2026, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/469 "2026-06-11T20:24:39Z")
Yeesh, South Africa is playing real rough. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2026, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/470 "2026-06-11T20:26:13Z")
> [@Railer13](#): > > They were also used in Qatar, if the temperature reached a certain point. AFAIK they were never called in Qatar. I could be wrong about that. ---
**Author:** ![Thing.Fish](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thing.fish/32/9168_2.png) [@Thing.Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thing.Fish)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2026, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/471 "2026-06-11T20:26:40Z")
If we’re going to break with tradition by asking these guys to play 60+ games a year between club snd country, we can also do so to let them have some damn water. ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2026, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/472 "2026-06-11T20:34:25Z")
I can readily accept them for extreme cases, but adopting them as a regular, required part of the game is just a excuse to sell more ads. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2026, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/473 "2026-06-11T20:35:01Z")
What a goal!!! ---
**Author:** ![Frosted\_Glass](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frosted_glass/32/3926_2.png) [@Frosted\_Glass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frosted_Glass)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2026, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/474 "2026-06-11T20:35:07Z")
> [@Frodo](#): > > Funny, they didn’t need it in the previous 22 World Cups. > But suuure, FIFA has nothing but the health of the players in mind. > Now tell us another one. I don’t remember them in Qatar either but I definitely remember the break in Mexico-Netherlands because it resulted in such a clear shift in momentum and all of us watching together were pretty stunned by it. ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2026, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/475 "2026-06-11T20:36:31Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > AFAIK they were never called in Qatar. I should have said that the rule was in place. I don’t know if it was ever invoked. Mea culpa. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2026, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/476 "2026-06-11T20:37:48Z")
Yeah, they have a real potential to impact the flow of a game, which is why I’m against them. I specifically prefer Real Time Football (soccer) to Turn Based Football (American football) because of the momentum. ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2026, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/477 "2026-06-11T20:40:05Z")
That’s as much of a foul as the red. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2026, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/478 "2026-06-11T20:50:23Z")
Oh shit another red??? ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2026, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/479 "2026-06-11T20:56:48Z")
The first red on RSA was called on Sphephelo Sithole. The 12-year-old in me really wants to giggle at that name. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2026, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/480 "2026-06-11T20:58:40Z")
Are three red cards in an opening game a new record? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962.md?page=23) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962.md?page=25)