FIFA Makes Controversial Changes to World Cup Matches After Players' Complaints
- FIFA has announced a change to how the 2026 World Cup matches will be played after the draw and schedule were drafted
- The world football governing body made the change in response to the players’ complaints after the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup
- South Africa and Mexico will play the opening match of the tournament, a repeat of the 2010 edition in Africa
FIFA has announced a major change to how matches will be played at the 2026 World Cup, shortly after the draw and schedule were confirmed.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup will kick off on June 11, 2026, and end on July 19, 2026, with South Africa and Mexico playing the opening match in a repeat of the 2010 edition.
Source: Getty Images
It will be the first World Cup in North America since the United States hosted it in 1994, and the first to feature 48 countries in an expanded tournament.
FIFA makes changes to World Cup matches
According to Mirror UK, FIFA has confirmed a major controversial change to the World Cup matches, which looks like ditching the 45-minute half.
The 2026 World Cup will be played in the United States, Mexico, and Canada, a region which experiences extreme temperatures in the middle of the year.
The world football governing body confirmed that matches will have three-minute cooling breaks in the middle of each half for players to refresh.
This decision will make football matches look like American sports, many of which are played in four quarters. Another questionable decision after the introduction of halftime shows.
Three-minute cooling breaks became a necessity after complaints from players about the heat during the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup from June to July 2025.
Chelsea won the inaugural tournament, beating Paris Saint-Germain 3-0 in the final, the schedule of which was seen as a test for the 2026 World Cup.
Enzo Fernandez’s comments about US heat
Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez complained about the heat during the Club World Cup and admitted that he felt dizzy many times.
"Honestly, the heat is incredible. The other day I had to lie down on the ground because I was really dizzy. Playing in this temperature is very dangerous, it's very dangerous,” he said as quoted by BBC Sport.
Source: Getty Images
“Moreover, for the spectacle, for the people who come to enjoy the stadium, for the people who watch it at home. The game, the speed of the game is not the same, everything becomes very slow.”
The midfielder, who is expected to be part of Argentina’s squad to defend their World Cup title next year, added that he expects that the schedule will be managed better.
FIFA introduces a new rule
Legit.ng previously reported that FIFA introduced a new rule that mandates injured players to leave the pitch for two minutes during treatment.
The rule seeks to cut time-wasting where injured players are attended to on the pitch until they are confirmed to be unable to continue.
Source: Legit.ng
