2026 World Cup: England coach Thomas Tuchel criticizes hydration breaks
England manager Thomas Tuchel has expressed his dissatisfaction with the World Cup hydration breaks, saying they interrupt the flow of the game.
England coach Thomas Tuchel has admitted he is not a fan of the controversial hydration breaks being used at the 2026 World Cup. Tuchel, 52, made his comments ahead of England's second Group L game against Ghana, which will take place in Boston this Tuesday (9pm BST), where rain and mild temperatures are forecast.
English fans began booing timeouts when play was stopped in the first half of the opener against Croatia in Dallas, even though the match was being played in an indoor, air-conditioned stadium. Timeouts will continue to be used in Boston regardless of the weather, but Tuchel has expressed his reservations about them and the impact they have on matches.
"I think it interrupts and changes the identity of a football game much more than I thought. I've had hydration breaks before, when it was really hot and they were necessary, but they were shorter. They were shorter and they happened in just a few matches. In the name of fairness, now this is done in every game for every team. It divides the match almost into four parts. And I think it changes the character of the game more than I thought," said Tuchel.
FIFA decided to cancel the hydration break in the second half of France's 3-0 victory over Iraq, after the game was paused for more than two hours due to adverse weather conditions. Tuchel added: "I like that as a coach, of course, because it's good to have influence and bring my team together. In general, though, I like football more when it's played in one half, because that creates a rhythm. It's part of the game. It's difficult to create and maintain rhythm when there are pauses. If you don't have a pause, then it's just a battle on the pitch between the players and the teams. It plays out over a longer period of time. It just adds to the character of the beautiful game."
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