Ghana coach rips ridiculous World Cup water breaks. As Toronto fans show, he’s not alone

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Published Jun 18, 2026  •  Last updated 19 minutes ago  •  5 minute read

Ghana's midfielder Caleb Yirenkyi shoots and scores his team's first goal during the 2026 World Cup Group L football match between Ghana and Panama at the Toronto Stadium in Toronto on June 17, 2026. Photo by COLE BURSTON /AFP via Getty Images

A festive atmosphere was dominating the mood at Toronto Stadium on Wednesday night, even in the rain. Fans from Ghana and Panama, colourful, vocal and lyrical as they were, sang and danced their way through the second World Cup match played in the city.

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The joy was interrupted twice and the crowd at the lakefront stadium weren’t shy about voicing their opinion on the scheduled hydration breaks, a controversial addition to the 2026 World Cup menu.

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And the drenched and disgruntled in Toronto are not alone in the view.

In fact, now that all 12 groups in this year’s event are under way, the noise surrounding the controversial – and increasingly viewed as ridiculous – measure, is growing louder.

Panama’s coach, Thomas Christiansen, clearly was not amused and let the world know following his team’s dramatic 1-0 loss to Ghana in a Group L game.

“It didn’t help in any matter,” Christiansen said in his post-match press conference. “It was not hot, but we have to accept that.”

But like fans around the globe who have voiced displeasure, he doesn’t have to like it.

The crowd of 42,942 on hand at Toronto Stadium sure didn’t approve. They booed loudly when the break was announced in the first half and took the volume up a notch or three when the second break was announced. It didn’t help that they were shivering as rain and wind blew in off of Lake Ontario.

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There was a similar reaction from England fans in Dallas earlier in the day – at a game played indoors, for crying out loud. And as the tournament moves along, we can expect more of the same as observers and participants alike grow in their skepticism of the annoying addition.

Why the weather breaks?

FIFA mandated the three-minute breaks and scheduled them to be whistled in as close to the 22-minute mark of each of the 104 tournament games.

In theory, it was done in the name of safety and is to occur regardless of weather conditions. Given the heat expected in many cities in this North American summer, it may actually make sense in certain situations, when the mercury soars during day games and player welfare becomes a legit concern.

In others, it certainly does not given that a number of the matches are played in indoor stadiums where climate is controlled

FIFA will tell you it wants teams to be safe and in the past have mandated hydration breaks for that reason. But at the time of the second break on Wednesday, the temps had dipped to 17 Celsius and with the persistent rain, felt chiller than that.

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Hence the ridiculous component and the pointed reaction.

Hydration breaks at the World Cup were first introduced in Brazil in 2014, most notably during a quarter-final contest between Mexico and the Netherlands when temperatures soared to the mid-30s Celsius. Since then, the idea of a break was defined as being at the discretion or game officials (and FIFA appointed medical staff) and with that 32C caveat.

Are the breaks helping team’s strategy?

Christiansen’s point – one shared by many coaches in the early stages of this World Cup – is that such breaks can not only stunt momentum but they can also create a tactical edge for teams, functioning as a planned time out to give a team a break.

While he wasn’t blaming the loss – the result of a dramatic 95th minute goal by 20-year-old Ghana prodigy, Caleb Yirenkyi – on the breaks, he didn’t like it.

“It didn’t help in any matter,” Christiansen said. “(Ghana) changed the system in that moment and we saw it. The break (was used) to make corrections.”

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Certainly the second break came at a time when Panama, a decided underdog in Wednesday’s match, was having one of its best stretches of sustained success.

To that end, many of the 48 coaches in the tournament are using the breaks as a tactical tool. Canada’s lone goal in a 1-1 draw against Bosnia and Herzegovina last week in Toronto came after one such break.

Think of it as a mandated timeout at what can be a critical time in a match. If coach’s aren’t trying to use it as an advantage, they are missing out. For the best coaches in the world, three minutes can be an eternity and a far more significant edge than hydrating their players.

The real reason for the water breaks?

It’s not just cynics who are seeing through the FIFA strategy: Participants are, as well.

Most broadcasters around the globe, including TSN in Canada, are using the three-minute breaks to cash in. With automatic and scheduled windows to cram in a handful of commercials, it’s a FIFA-made opportunity to cash in and most networks are selling inventory accordingly.

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“The (advertisements), on television is what is paying for all these things and we have to agree with that,” Christiansen said on Wednesday.

Christiansen’s counterpart in the tournament opener for both teams, Ghana coach Carlos Queiroz, took it a step further. The 73-year-old Portuguese coaching legend is patrolling the sidelines for a fifth consecutive World Cup and has seen some things.

“The decision is done, it doesn’t matter now to express an opinion,” said Queiroz, who went on to do just that. “The only comment I will make in that compartment (is) this is a game of players and a game of coaches (and) this game cannot keep going without our sponsors.

“We cannot live without our sponsors. We try to keep sacred everything that happens inside the four lines but it’s important to be sure that with decisions, all parts are listened to.”

The fact that the breaks are scheduled rather rigidly, literally sets the parameters for the business plan. Networks can sell the space to advertisers well in advance and do so at a premium given

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“The timing is ideal,” a broadcast source not affiliated with TSN’s coverage told Postmedia. “It’s the way of the world now, with rights and production fees what they are. But when it becomes a part of the strategy of teams and a tactical tool, it’s messing with the spirit of the thing.”

To that end, Queiroz went a step further, suggesting that FIFA commission “an integrity report” following the tournament to evaluate the process. Many have already had their say, noise that is surely to amplify over the weeks ahead.

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