Will World Cup water breaks have a big impact on team tactics?
FIFA’s hydration breaks at the World Cup are more than a safety measure. Northeastern researchers say they could shape team tactics.
This post is part of NGN Offside, a blog about the 2026 FIFA World Cup, powered by data science.
Qatar’s matchup against Switzerland this weekend in Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, is sure to be a hot one — in more ways than one.
The forecasted game-time temperature will be 89 degrees Fahrenheit, according to meteorologists.
To ensure player well-being, the 2026 FIFA World Cup has implemented mandatory hydration breaks in every match.
But this may not only refuel players, it could also influence game strategy, said Brennan Klein, director of the NetSI Sport research group, at Northeastern University.
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“The question is, are there tactical shifts that happen after the hydration breaks, because if there are … you might get coaching during the breaks,” Klein said,noting that the fluid breaks could give coaches a chance to modify tactics according to the trajectory of the game.
The breaks will occur at approximately the 22nd minute of each half and last about three minutes. They will be called by the referee in all games, “to ensure equal conditions for all teams, in all matches,” FIFA said in a statement.
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In regular league games, referees can use their discretion to allow a so-called “drinks break,” when the game is stopped for players to rehydrate, and a “cooling break,” when the match is paused to allow players a chance to cool down, according to the International Football Association Board, or IFAB, an international self-regulatory body that determines the rules for playing football. Drink breaks must not last more than a minute, while cooling breaks must come in under three minutes, according to the IFAB rules.
Northeastern’s Network Science Institute’s NetSI Sport research group, which studies sports by analyzing comprehensive datasets and determining emergent patterns, plans to study the data and determine how much the new ruling changes teams’ tactics during the game.
