Arsene Wenger says he accepts the hydration breaks introduced at the 2026 World Cup have not been popular and Fifa will review their impact after the tournament.
Fifa brought in mandatory three-minute hydration breaks for the World Cup, regardless of conditions, for all matches played at stadiums in the United States, Mexico and Canada.
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The governing body said they were brought in as a commitment to player welfare but critics have pointed to broadcasters using the breaks as a way to cash in with commercials.
Former Arsenal manager Wenger, who is Fifa’s head of global football development, said “sometimes people didn’t like” the hydration breaks and Fifa will “analyse after the World Cup what the impact was”.
“It didn’t look to me that it changed the results but we are here to serve people that watch football and we will come to conclusions afterwards,” he added.
“In many games, especially when the stadium was covered, people were not happy with it but at the start of the competition it was decided to do it for everybody.”
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As the tournament progressed, supporters started to boo the hydration breaks, such was the frustration at the stoppages.
Experts told BBC Sport an average 30-second World Cup ad slot on Fox Sports in the US costs between $200,000 (£152,000) and $300,000 (£227,000), rising to $750,000 (£567,000) during USA matches and the final stages.
They were effectively tactical timeouts, with coaches getting to run through strategical changes with the players.
European football body Uefa has ruled out introducing the breaks while England manager Thomas Tuchel admitted he is not a fan of them earlier in the tournament, saying they “interrupt and change the identity of a football match”.
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Spain boss Luis de la Fuente voiced his support for the breaks last month, saying: “I am always interested in the health of my players. I think it’s the right measure – a pause, freshen up and continue.”
Meanwhile, Wenger said the expansion of the World Cup to feature 48 teams rather than 32, has been a success.
“It was questioned before it started but we found it was ethically needed to give a chance to more teams. I am convinced it was the right decision and it was a great success,” he said.
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