'Hydration Break' is 'Advertising Break', and FIFA aims to maximize broadcast rights [Lee Jong Sung's Sports Culture & Industry]

*This content was translated by AI.

The FIFA World Cup began in 1930. The ostensible reason why FIFA hosted the World Cup was that unlike the Olympics, where only amateur soccer players were allowed to participate at the time, professional players also needed to participate.

However, the decisive reason for FIFA to host the World Cup was that soccer was the most popular among Olympic sports. The football match at the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics attracted a record crowd of more than 250,000 people. FIFA leaders were convinced that creating the World Championship would make it commercially successful.

The 2026 North-China World Cup, which will be held 96 years after the first World Cup in Uruguay in 1930, is expected to change more than ever.

First of all, the number of countries that advanced to the World Cup finals has increased from 32 to 48. Through this, smaller soccer countries such as Curaçao and Cabo Verde could also participate in the World Cup finals. Naturally, the number of World Cup finals matches increased from 64 to 104.

Considering the increase in the number of World Cup finalists and the number of games from a commercial point of view, it is clear that this will lead to an increase in broadcasting rights fees. Broadcasting rights for the 2026 World Cup are expected to increase by about 24% compared to the 2022 World Cup. Brazil's sports marketing media "Sports Value" estimated the total amount of global broadcast rights for the 2026 World Cup, which FIFA will take in February, at $4.3 billion (about 6.478 trillion won).

The increase in the number of games can be a problem for a soccer powerhouse that expects a semifinal or higher performance. This is because they have to play three group qualifiers and three tournaments to advance to the semifinals. You have to play eight games in total to win the championship. This is one more game than the seven games that the World Cup winner has to play in the existing system. Although it is an increase of one game, it is a huge physical burden for players.

So the key keyword of 2026 FIFA North and Central America World Cup for soccer powers with a large number of players playing for big clubs in European leagues on a tight schedule is the physical strength of players. This is especially true considering that the temperature is higher than in the past during the World Cup due to global warming.

This was the background of FIFA's introduction of a "hydration brake" this 2026 FIFA North and Central America World Cup, which allows players to drink water and take a short break. FIFA prepared a three-minute hydration break in the 22nd minute of the first half and the 22nd minute of the second half, respectively, for the health and welfare of the players.

However, a total of six minutes of hydration break time for each team will be included in the additional time. This is why all games in 2026 FIFA North and Central America World Cup are bound to be a 'physical battle' that lasts more than 100 minutes.

For this reason, it is evaluated that the hydration brake planned by FIFA has a greater influence as an 'advertisement brake'. This is because broadcasters in each country have time to advertise additionally for six minutes.

On the 6th (Korea Standard Time), the U.S. sports media "The Athletic" predicted that the hydration break will have a significant impact on broadcasters' advertising and sponsorship sales. In short, the hydration break will be a new catalyst for the commercialization of soccer, which has been advertised only at half-time and before and after games.

Currently, FIFA is reviewing detailed regulations for broadcasting advertisements during the hydration break. For example, if Pepsi's advertisement enters the hydration brake to counter FIFA's sponsor Coca-Cola, it is about what to do.

Basically, FIFA is in a position to respect FIFA sponsors who are providing large amounts of support. Therefore, it is known that broadcasters in each country are considering negotiating with FIFA sponsors first when advertising hydration breaks.

On the other hand, the hydration break is no different from the operation time of each team. During this time, coaches and coaches are likely to instruct players to operate such as tactical changes. Broadcasters can also use short content that combines operational instructions and data, rather than playing advertising videos unconditionally during the hydration break.

Telemundo, who has the right to broadcast the Spanish World Cup in the United States, also said in an interview with "The Athletic," "If you consider soccer fans as your top priority, it is important to broadcast all the situations unfolding in the stadium, including the hydration break." This means that in order to produce fan-friendly broadcasts, we will focus on producing short content with virtual advertisements rather than just advertising videos.

Ultimately, the hydration brake is expected to lead to an increase in World Cup broadcasting rights. The application of the hydration brake means an increase in advertising sales of broadcasters, and FIFA is sure to actively use this part in future World Cup broadcasting rights negotiations.

In Korea, negotiations between JTBC, the World Cup broadcasting authority, and terrestrial broadcasters are struggling to resell 2026 FIFA North and Central America World Cup broadcasting rights. This is because it is difficult for broadcasters to afford the soaring World Cup broadcasting rights. In this respect, the hydration brake, which will lead to an increase in advertising sales for broadcasters, can have a positive effect on negotiations.

Looking at the hydration break, which is like operation time, from a football perspective, the coach's ability to change tactics can play a more important role than any other World Cup. For this reason, some analysts say that there will be a lot of rebellion by drug teams called "underdogs."

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*This content was translated by AI.