World Cup
World Cup matches to have mandatory hydration breaks in each half
World Cup matches at the 2026 tournament will have three-minute hydration breaks midway through each half regardless of the weather conditions, FIFA has said.
Referees will stop games 22 minutes into each half so players can rehydrate, soccer’s global governing body added in a statement.
FIFA said the new rule will streamline and simplify the previous rules, which required cooling breaks 30 minutes into each half when the temperature at kickoff exceeded 31 degrees Celsius.
“For every game, no matter where the games are played, no matter if there’s a roof, (or) temperature-wise, there will be a three-minute hydration break,” said Manolo Zubiria, the World Cup’s chief tournament officer in the United States.
“Obviously, if there’s an injury at the moment of the 20th or 21st minute and it’s ongoing, this will be addressed on the spot with the referee,” he added in a meeting with broadcasters in Washington.
Excessive heat raised concerns during this year’s Club World Cup held in the U.S., with several matches kicking off in the afternoon amid high temperatures.
A report published in September by Football for the Future, Common Goal and Jupiter Intelligence found 10 of the 16 venues for the World Cup, taking place in the U.S., Mexico and Canada, are at very high risk of extreme heat stress conditions.
“The use of hydration breaks is part of a focused attempt to ensure the best possible conditions for players, drawing upon the experiences of previous tournaments, including the recent FIFA Club World Cup,” FIFA added in Sunday’s statement.
-Reuters
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FIFA president Gianni Infantino apologised to Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni after a mix-up during Friday’s 2026 World Cup draw required the coach to wear gloves to touch the trophy. Infantino invited Scaloni to lift the Cup without gloves during a separate ceremony on Saturday.
The incident came during Friday’s draw for the tournament, set to be co-hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada, when organisers seemingly failed to recognise the World Cup-winning coach.
Scaloni, visibly taken aback, said that the officials did not know who he was.
Twenty four hours later, at an event to confirm the tournament’s schedule, Infantino aimed to make amends.
“I apologise on behalf of FIFA. I didn’t know,” he said, calling Scaloni on stage and presenting him with the trophy.
“Of course, the world champions can touch the Cup. I apologise, I didn’t know,” repeated Infantino, adding with a laugh, “What an outrage! It’s just that when you’re a world champion, you look younger every day.”
Argentina will open their 2026 World Cup campaign on June 16 against Algeria in Kansas City. They will then face Austria and Jordan.
-Reuters
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By Kunle Solaja.
Just as the Nigeria versus Argentina match in Porto Alegre, Brazil in 2014 was the 800th World Cup match in history, another African team is set to hit a milestone at the 2026 World Cup.
Tunisia’s group-stage meeting with Japan at the FIFA World Cup 2026 will enter the record books as the 1,000th fixture in the tournament’s history.
The landmark match is scheduled for Monterrey on Saturday, 20 June, with kick-off at 22:00 local time, FIFA confirmed following the Final Draw in Washington, D.C.
Nigeria’s 3-2 loss to Argentina in 2014 marked the 800th match in World Cup history.
The announcement came during a live televised show in the US capital, where FIFA Legends Ronaldo Nazário, Francesco Totti, Hristo Stoichkov and Alexi Lalas joined FIFA President Gianni Infantino to unveil the updated match schedule for the first-ever 48-team World Cup.
This will not be the first time Tunisia will be making a mark at the World Cup. The team at Argentina ’78 became the first African team to win a World Cup match after coming from a goal down to beat Mexico 3-1.
Now with the 2026 draw concluded, supporters of the 42 teams already qualified—alongside 22 more still battling for the final six berths—now know the venues and dates that will define their World Cup journeys.
In another headline moment, hosts Mexico will open the expanded tournament against South Africa in Mexico City at 13:00 local time on Thursday, 11 June, a rematch of the 2010 World Cup curtain-raiser.
The encounter will reunite coaches Javier Aguirre and Hugo Broos, whose paths last crossed at the FIFA World Cup at the same historic venue in 1986.
Co-hosts Canada and the United States also learned their opening assignments. Canada will face the winner of the European play-off—featuring Italy, Northern Ireland, Wales and Bosnia and Herzegovina—in Toronto on 12 June, while the USA begin their campaign in Los Angeles against Paraguay later that evening.
But global attention will inevitably turn toward Monterrey eight days later, when Tunisia and Japan walk out for the World Cup’s 1,000th match, an occasion that adds a historic sparkle to a tournament already breaking new ground.
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Football fans will get a star-studded preview of the FIFA World Cup 2026™ this Saturday, when FIFA unveils the updated match venues and kick-off times for the first 48-team edition of the tournament.
The announcement will be made live from 12:00 EST (18:00 CET) on Saturday, 6 December 2025, streamed across FIFA platforms including FIFA.com and FIFA’s YouTube channel, ensuring global audiences can follow in real time.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino will be joined by a distinguished panel of FIFA Legends to break down the match-ups, including Ronaldo Nazário — a two-time World Cup winner with Brazil — and Francesco Totti, who lifted the trophy with Italy in 2006.
Bulgarian icon Hristo Stoichkov, joint top scorer at USA 1994, and American great Alexi Lalas, one of the most recognisable figures from that same tournament, will also provide expert insight. Popular commentator Andrés Cantor will serve as host.
The reveal comes 24 hours after the spectacular Final Draw in Washington DC, where 12 groups of four were confirmed for the expanded 104-match event co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Saturday’s event will confirm which stadiums will host each game and the precise kick-off times, offering fans a clearer picture of travel plans, marquee fixtures and potential blockbuster encounters throughout the competition.
FIFA says the final version of the schedule will be published in March 2026 after the remaining FIFA and UEFA play-offs are completed and the last six qualifying places are filled.
The 2026 edition will be the biggest World Cup in history — and now, the countdown to who plays where moves up a gear.
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