Arsène Wenger concedes cooling breaks unpopular with fans at World Cup | OneFootball

Arsène Wenger has acknowledged the unpopularity of the World Cup’s cooling breaks with supporters, as the tournament concludes on Sunday with Spain facing Argentina at 21:00. The FIFA chief of global football development said the measure would be assessed after the final.

According to the BBC, the breaks proved lucrative for broadcasters, with 30-second spots on Fox Sports in the United States costing 174,000 to 200,000 euros during the group stage, rising to as much as 655,000 euros in the knockouts and Team USA games.

The 2026 edition introduced mandatory three-minute pauses midway through each half in every match. UEFA and the LFP are not expected to adopt the system in their competitions next season.

Some fans booed the stoppages in stadiums, and critics argued the format disrupted the rhythm by effectively slicing games into quarters. FIFA presented the change as a player welfare measure.

Wenger maintained he did not feel the pauses altered match outcomes. He added that the priority is serving viewers and that organisers would draw conclusions from this tournament.

Source: L'Équipe