When the first-ever water break during a FIFA World Cup match happened during the Netherlands vs Mexico round of 16 faceoff in 2014, Virgil van Dijk was yet to make his international debut. Twelve years after the first sip, he finally knows what it’s like to be on the pitch for those short breaks. And the Dutch centre back is not a fan.

The Netherlands captain addressed the issue after his side’s thrilling 2-2 draw against Japan. He believes that the system shouldn’t be permanent. “I think hydration breaks are really interesting. I was obviously watching almost all of the games up until today,” Van Dijk said in his post-match interview. “I think every time going to commercials is a bit, not really something that I like.

“I think for the neutral watchers on TV, it is also not great. So, if it is really hot, it would be good to put them in, but I think you have to look at it in every game, separately, in my opinion. But I think I have said enough already on that.”

FIFA has introduced mandatory hydration breaks for the 2026 FIFA World Cup to ensure player safety against the hot summers in North America, where temperatures often exceed 32 degrees Celsius. They announced the decision in December, and at the time, few fans supported the mandate.

This came after several players and managers complained during the 2025 Club World Cup, which was held in the United States. Chelsea’s Enzo Fernández revealed he felt “really dizzy” while former Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca said he had cut training sessions short to avoid the heat.

However, things have changed completely now, with fans clearly unhappy. One even wrote, “FIFA really turned the World Cup into a commercial break simulator.”

That’s in light of FIFA allowing all rights holders to show advertisements during the hydration breaks with strict regulations in place. As the break is three minutes long, FIFA’s World Cup regulations require all broadcasters to return to the game 30 seconds before play resumes. That wasn’t the case during Mexico’s opener against South Africa, as Fox overran the limit by 40 seconds.

FIFA has since chastised the company and accepted its apology, although fans remain unhappy with the new hydration breaks.

Fans react to Virgil van Dijk’s comments about the break

“Funny thing is FIFA said regardless of the temperature/weather it’s a mandatory in all the 104 matches,” one fan commented.

That is true, as all 104 games will have a three-minute-per-half hydration break. Football has introduced cooling breaks before; the 2014 World Cup in Brazil saw the first unofficial water break. That was largely due to temperatures reaching 39°C (102°F) and high humidity.

However, the key difference is that during the 2014 FIFA World Cup and thereafter, until the 2026 edition, the hydration/cooling breaks were on a match-by-match basis, if the temperatures went above 32 °C. Now, while fans initially welcomed the break, the situation around it has changed.

One fan even wrote, “Facts. it actually feels like watching American sports with all those random ad breaks now. completely ruins the flow of the 90 mins.”

That’s largely because the break has adversely affected the game while altering the momentum of the on-field play. A prime example was during Curacao’s first-ever World Cup game against Germany. The South Caribbean nation equalised against the four-time World Cup winners in the 21st minute with momentum in their favour.

However, the mandatory hydration break was called during the 22nd minute for three minutes. It allowed Germany’s head coach, Julian Nagelsmann, time with his players and effectively killed any momentum Curacao had. The same occurred during Czechia’s game against South Korea; Czechia was well on top when they enforced the break in the first half.

However, some fans are in favor of the break, as one of them wrote, “Lol 😂😂 its a very funny thing. There should be a hydration break, when it’s hot and when players need it, not by system.”

Whether FIFA intended it or not, Van Dijk’s comments have echoed a growing sentiment among supporters. That’s especially those who feel the breaks are changing the rhythm of the game as much as they are protecting the players.