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Fortune
Fortune
Entertainment
Tristan Bove

The 2026 World Cup will bring a uniquely American sports tradition to the beautiful game: Mid-match ad breaks

Real Madrid player Jude Bellingham pours water on his face during a break (Credit: Jose Breton—Pics Action/NurPhoto/Getty Images)

Brazil 2014 had no-hassle “vanishing spray.” Qatar 2022 brought in much-debated video assistant referees. The 2026 World Cup, to be held in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, might already have confirmed its own next-gen contribution to the world’s game, and it happens to be a mainstay of American sports-watching.

In December, FIFA, the governing body responsible for organizing the World Cup, announced that this summer’s tournament will feature two scheduled three-minute hydration breaks in every game, an effort to mitigate the strain of high summer temperatures on players.

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