ARLINGTON, Texas — Argentina national team manager Lionel Scaloni said the newly implemented hydration breaks at the FIFA World Cup make for a fragmented match, sometimes giving the weaker side an advantage for the second part of the half.
“There are no easy games, especially in the group stage,” Scaloni told reporters Sunday. “Historically, but now also with the 48-team format, the group stage has always been hard. Now with the conditions of the heat and the hydration break. The game is stopped constantly, perhaps it gives a hand to the weaker team because they have time to fix things. They have time to adjust.
“In the end, it’s done to have more time, but it fragments the game. It’s four quarters then in the halftime we have just three minutes to talk to players between them coming in and going back [on the field]. But it’s done.”
FIFA added three-minute hydration breaks to every match at this summer’s World Cup as a new approach to player welfare. The breaks come midway through each half and are implemented at every match, regardless of weather conditions.
“The ‘four-period’ concept is real. Between the time players arrive and leave, we only have three-and-a-half minutes at halftime to talk to them,” Scaloni added. “That’s how it’s done, and here we are. Whatever plans I have in mind can change based on what happens during those 22 or 23 minutes. We have attacking players on the pitch, plus our bench options. We look for solutions, the same things you’d do during a normal halftime.
“Perhaps I was misleading when I mentioned it benefiting the weaker team, it also helps the attacking side make corrections. It feels strange adapting to this. Eventually, it will become the norm, just like any other improvement. For now, it feels unusual because the flow is so broken up. We try to analyze and make adjustments. Matches unfold in different ways, even within that first half alone. I’m sure it will improve.”
Depsite being implemented as a safety measure for players, some fans have taken to booing the hydration breaks at certain stadiums, especially those in climates where the conditions aren’t considered extreme enough to warrant them.
Argentina prepares to face Austria on Monday afternoon at AT&T Stadium, entering the match after triumphing 3-0 against Algeria in their 2026 World Cup opener.
Austria are also currently on three points after beating Jordan 3-1 in their first Group J game.