Tuchel criticises World Cup hydration breaks before Ghana tie

In partnership with

The Football Faithful

·23 Juni 2026

Tuchel criticises World Cup hydration breaks before Ghana tie

The World Cup’s hydration breaks have a high-profile critic in Thomas Tuchel, who says the stoppages are reshaping matches more than he expected.

The England boss aired his reservations ahead of Tuesday’s Group L meeting with Ghana in Boston. The breaks have become a talking point of the tournament.

Video OneFootball

FIFA has mandated a three-minute pause in each half of all 104 games, regardless of conditions. Critics argue they amount to a commercial break by stealth, and fans have booed them repeatedly.

Tuchel criticises hydration breaks before Ghana clash

England supporters joined that chorus in Dallas. They jeered when play stopped during the 4-2 win over Croatia, despite the match being held under a roof in an air-conditioned arena.

Boston, by contrast, is forecast rain and temperatures below 20C, yet the break will still apply.

Tuchel made his reservations plain. “I think that it interrupts and changes the identity of a football match much more than I thought,” he said.

“I had hydration breaks before when it was really, really hot and needed, but they were shorter.”

He felt the impact on rhythm most keenly. “It breaks the match almost in four quarters,” Tuchel added.

“I like football more when it’s played in one go in one half because it builds a momentum. It’s hard to build momentum, and it’s hard to keep the momentum, when there are breaks.”

The German did concede a coaching benefit. The pauses allow him to gather his players and pass on instructions, even if he would rather the game flowed freely.

FIFA has shown some flexibility. It abandoned the second-half break during France’s 3-0 win over Iraq, a game paused for more than two hours due to thunderstorms in Philadelphia.