Football World Cup 2026: Splitting drinking breaks – that’s what’s behind it

The World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico has begun. And the tournament brings with it a few topics worth discussing.

I was just at a conference in Philadelphia, one of the World Cup host cities in the eastern United States. Many people from Ecuador live here, and tens of thousands more traveled for the opening game against Ivory Coast. Despite the defeat, there was a great atmosphere there. There was a real World Cup atmosphere – even though there was basketball playing in the hotel bar at the end.

The USA has now arrived in the World Cup. Football is particularly popular on the east and west coasts, and Hollywood stars also watch the games on site. There’s something about this mix of sport and show. It can continue like this.

There is currently a lot of talk about the drinking breaks, which take place once every half time. Deniz Undav, for example, thinks it’s good, while Kai Havertz didn’t think it was necessary in the air-conditioned stadium in Houston. Fans also criticize her. I have a clear opinion on this.

There are places where it is cooler or the stadium is air-conditioned, where drinking breaks are not necessary. But: In cities like Miami they are simply needed. This is not so easy to understand at home in front of the television. We just think: “Oh, another stupid drinking break.” In this heat they are a must for me. There would be a lot of screaming if a player fell over because there was no break.

However, we don’t need three-minute drinking breaks. 90 seconds would be completely sufficient. Even as a goalkeeper with a long walk to the sideline, you don’t need three minutes.

What I can also understand is the criticism of the influence of the drinking break on the course of the game. If you’re just putting pressure on the opponent, constricting them and are about to trap them and score the goal, then a break like that is a blatant break. That’s the most ungrateful thing. The opponent can make tactical changes during the break and free themselves a little. That changes the momentum, no question. Nevertheless, the health of the players at the hot venues is too important to me; they simply need a break like this.

Let’s come to the German opening game. Overall, it was a really dominant and confident performance. Even after the 1-1 draw against Curaçao, the team didn’t give the impression that they were doubting. The players dealt with the brief shock well, rolled up their non-existent sleeves and simply carried on.