<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t1:53<\/time>Canadian World Cup fever kicking into high gear across Recent Brunswick<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>
The stoppages have allowed a few of the world\u2019s most recognizable brands to squeeze in additional promoting, making Canada, Mexico and america\u2019 first World Cup feel distinctly more business.<\/p>\n
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That shift has triggered complaints from players, coaches and fans, together with boos from the stands. Some critics see the hydration breaks as one other money grab in a tournament already facing backlash for sky-high ticket prices.<\/p>\n
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\u201cI feel they\u2019re probably right to be cynical,\u201d said Toby M\u00fcndel, a kinesiology professor at Brock University.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s higher that FIFA has done something than absolutely nothing,\u201d M\u00fcndel added. \u201cAlthough they\u2019ve done something, you furthermore mght must query why.\u201d<\/p>\n
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FIFA faced growing pressure to make the tournament safer for athletes, who are sometimes playing during a few of the hottest months of the yr.<\/p>\n
\u201cMost sports are getting faster, stronger and so when you have got hot conditions during a soccer game, what it means is that it pushes a player\u2019s physical and mental abilities to the limit,\u201d said M\u00fcndel, who can also be Canada Research Chair in Extreme Human Environments.<\/p>\n
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But skeptics indicate that much of the tournament is being played in domed, air-conditioned venues equivalent to BC Place, while some outdoor matches have taken place in relatively mild conditions. Ghana and Panama faced off in Toronto this week with temperatures hovering around 19 C.<\/p>\n
Ghana coach Carlos Queiroz has called for a review of the policy.<\/p>\n
\u201c[We have to know] if this decision was really made to guard the health and performance of the players, or if it was made to guard marketing and other issues,\u201d Queiroz said at a news conference.<\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\tMore on Canada<\/button>More videos<\/button>\n\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\u201cTo have a hydration break in that context is totally unwarranted, for my part,\u201d Daniel Keir, a kinesiology professor at Western University, told Global News.<\/p>\n
FIFA says it\u2019s rolling out hydration breaks universally to make sure consistency across matches. However the change has frustrated soccer purists for another excuse: interrupting flow.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt breaks up the sport. It could change momentum and provides teams the chance to regulate tactics,\u201d Keir said.<\/p>\n
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\u201cThe coaches can gather all of the players, provide instructions, can move people around\u00a0like pieces on a chessboard.\u201d<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t1:53<\/time>Soccer for newbies: What to learn about 2026 World Cup<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>
M\u00fcndel\u00a0says it\u2019s hard to say whether it\u2019s been a bonus or drawback for World Cup competitors, adding it relies on the sport.<\/p>\n
The Brock University professor says there are methods apart from hydration breaks to scale back heat-related risks, like scheduling matches earlier within the morning or later within the evening, outside the most well liked parts of the day.<\/p>\n
But that would even be a tough sell.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat has logistical and financial implications due to television audiences,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
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\n\t\t© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The World Cup looks different this yr not only since it\u2019s being played across three countries, but because of a brand new addition sparking a heated debate: hydration breaks. FIFA\u00a0introduced the three-minute pauses in each 45-minute half, effectively creating 4 unofficial quarters. Soccer\u2019s governing body says the measure is essential to guard players from heat […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":353872,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[338],"tags":[506,6390,1060,16122,53035,1903,612,813],"class_list":["post-353871","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports","tag-breaks","tag-commercials","tag-cup","tag-excuse","tag-hydration","tag-national","tag-run","tag-world"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/353871","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=353871"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/353871\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":353874,"href":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/353871\/revisions\/353874"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/353872"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=353871"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=353871"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=353871"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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