Fifa urged to extend half-time and double drinks break at 2026 World Cup
Fifa is being urged to bring in a longer half-time interval and two drinks breaks instead of one before next year's World Cup due to concerns around extreme heat.
The international players' union Fifpro says the conditions at the Club World Cup in the United States are almost certain to be replicated at next year's men's World Cup in the US, Mexico and Canada — and will potentially be even worse at the 2030 tournament in Spain, Portugal and Morocco.
Fifpro wants Fifa to double the number of drinks breaks and to make half-time breaks 20 minutes instead of the maximum 15 — that would need the agreement of the International FA Board, which makes decisions on the laws of the game.
The union says nine of the 16 host cities of next year's World Cup have 'very high' or 'extremely high' risk of heat-stress injury during the tournament. It also wants Fifa to postpone afternoon kick-offs to the evenings if the temperature is too high and says such a step should have been taken when Bayern Munich played Benfica last week in Charlotte, North Carolina.
FifPro's chief medical officer, Professor Vincent Gouttebarge, said players needed 20 minutes at half-time in extreme heat to be able to rehydrate.
'Only giving players 15 minutes is not enough at these temperatures — you cannot ingest enough in such a short time,' he said.
'If we anticipate the biggest tournament on earth next year and in Mexico as well there are some venues where games played during the afternoon are likely to be very extreme for health and performance of the players.
'We are anticipating that there are going to be more problems for the coming years in the 2030 World Cup in Spain and Portugal, perhaps even worse.'
Alexander Bielefeld, Fifpro's director of global policy, said Fifa should avoid scheduling afternoon kick-offs in high-risk cities. 'What we have seen in the Club World Cup has to be a wake-up call for Fifa,' he said.
'It's clear that certain areas in the USA, especially in Florida, where there is a higher risk and a need to avoid midday kick-offs — so games scheduled in these cities should be moved to a later time. The health and safety of players must take priority over commercial interests, including the broadcasters.'
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