Bielsa harshly criticized the hydration breaks at the 2026 World Cup

The head coach of the Uruguay national team, Marcelo Bielsa, expressed his strong dissatisfaction with the introduction of mandatory hydration breaks (drinking water) during World Cup matches. He announced his position at a press conference on the eve of Sunday's match of the second round of the group stage against Cape Verde. According to an experienced specialist, this innovation radically changes the structure of the game, artificially dividing it into four parts instead of the traditional two halves. "According to the general opinion, playing four halves instead of two changes the culturally shaped idea of ​​how to interpret football. In my opinion, it does not add anything, but takes a lot away. When the match was divided into four periods, no thought was given to how it could affect what makes football such an exciting sport," Bielsa said. The coach also compared this rule with other innovations, stressing that not all changes are beneficial: "There are great successes, like the impact of VAR, which has improved the game, but this other attempt has consequences that are not positive. It's not just my opinion, it's the general view," he added. FIFA introduced regular three-minute hydration breaks as a precautionary measure due to the high temperatures at the tournament, arguing it was out of concern for the health and well-being of footballers. However, Bielsa is not the only one who has expressed doubts about the feasibility of such a format. The initiative faced criticism from other well-known participants of the tournament: Mauricio Pochettino (head coach of the US national team) noted that such stops should be used only in extreme weather conditions, and not make them a mandatory norm for every match. Virgil van Dijk (captain of the Netherlands national team) pointed to the commercial component: he criticized the fact that broadcasters use these breaks to show advertisements, a move that FIFA gave official permission back in March. Currently, Marcelo Bielsa's men continue to struggle in Group H. In their opening match at the World Cup, Uruguay After the game against Cape Verde, the team awaits the decisive match of the group stage against the national team of Spain, which will take place on June 26.