FIFA has introduced compulsory three-minute hydration breaks in every match of the 2026 World Cup. This decision has started a significant debate regarding the balance between player health and commercial interests.

FIFA在2026年世界盃的每場比賽中引入了強制性的三分鐘補水時間。這個決定引起了關於球員健康與商業利益之間平衡的重大爭論。

The new rules require two hydration breaks per match, occurring around the 22nd minute of each half. In previous tournaments, such as 2014 and 2022, 'cooling breaks' were only used if the temperature reached a certain limit. However, the current protocol makes these breaks standard for all 104 matches, regardless of the weather. FIFA emphasized that this change is necessary to ensure the best possible conditions and wellbeing for the players, based on experiences from the 2025 Club World Cup.

新規定要求每場比賽有兩次補水時間，約在上下半場的第22分鐘進行。在之前的賽事中，例如2014年和2022年，「冷卻時間」僅在溫度達到特定限度時才會使用。然而，目前的方案將這些休息時間設定為所有104場比賽的標準，無論天氣如何。FIFA強調，根據2025年俱樂部世界盃的經驗，這次變更是為了確保球員擁有最佳的狀態與福祉，因此是必要的。

There are different opinions among the teams regarding these breaks. Some technical staff, such as Belgium coach Rudi Garcia, asserted that these intervals are useful for making strategic changes during the game. On the other hand, USMNT coach Mauricio Pochettino argued that these breaks are unnecessary unless the weather is extreme. He suggested that mandatory pauses disrupt the natural flow and momentum of the sport. Consequently, some analysts have noted that the match now feels more like North American professional sports, which use a quarter-based format.

各球隊對這些補水時間持有不同意見。部分技術團隊，例如比利時教練Rudi Garcia，主張這些間歇時間對於比賽中的策略調整非常有用。另一方面，美國男足教練Mauricio Pochettino則認為，除非天氣極端，否則這些休息時間並非必要。他認為強制性的停頓會打亂運動的自然流程與氣勢。因此，部分分析師指出，現在的比賽感覺更像北美職業體育，即採用分節賽制的格式。

Furthermore, these breaks have allowed broadcasting partners to increase their advertising revenue. Fox Sports, which paid $500 million for the rights in 2015, has used these intervals to show full-screen advertisements. This has caused some problems; for example, during the Mexico-South Africa match, Fox Sports ran ads for too long and missed some of the live action. In contrast, Telemundo kept a live feed with very few ads, showing a clear difference in how the two networks handled the broadcast.

此外，這些補水時間讓轉播合作夥伴得以增加廣告收入。Fox Sports在2015年支付了5億美元購買版權，並利用這些間歇播放全螢幕廣告。這引起了一些問題；例如在墨西哥對陣南非的比賽中，Fox Sports的廣告播放過久，導致錯過了一些現場畫面。相較之下，Telemundo則保持直播且廣告極少，顯示出兩家網絡公司在處理轉播上的明顯差異。

The mandatory hydration breaks will remain a part of the tournament, as FIFA continues to balance the safety of the players with the financial goals of the organization and its partners.

由於FIFA將繼續平衡球員安全與組織及其合作夥伴的財務目標，強制性補水時間將維持作為賽事的一部分。