The 2026 FIFA World Cup is here and it took less than one full match day for the controversy to start. Not about a goal, a foul or a VAR call. About a commercial break.
FIFA introduced cooling breaks for this tournament, a rule designed to help players manage the summer heat. The measure was tested at the 2025 Club World Cup before being carried over to the biggest stage in soccer.
Advertisement
Each break is scheduled once per half around the 22nd minute and runs three minutes. But its execution, however, is what set fans off.
Fans Unhappy With Cooling Break Delay
During Thursday’s opener between Mexico and South Africa, according to reporter Romain Molina, players were told to hold on resuming play because television broadcasts were still running commercials.
Some viewers watching at home missed the restart entirely while sitting through advertisements. That did not go over well.
Advertisement
“FIFA is making a lot of money already from sponsors. We don’t need ads,” one fan stated.
“They actually use cooling break excuse just to get commercial break. That’s how it works,” another wrote.
“The players were yelling at the ref during the second break and restarted early. They already had had enough by the second hydration break and just started playing again, that’s why the Fox feed missed a few seconds,” one fan commented.
Advertisement
“It’s obvious they want to make their money back,” another angry fan shared.
The controversy around the breaks threatened to overshadow what turned out to be a genuinely dramatic opening match.
Mexico Opens World Cup With Statement Victory
Inside a packed Estadio Azteca with more than 80,000 supporters, Mexico wasted no time. Julian Quinones slipped a finish through the legs of South Africa goalkeeper Ronwen Williams inside nine minutes to open the scoring.
Advertisement
It was the fastest goal in a World Cup opener since Philipp Lahm scored six minutes into Germany’s first match in 2006.
Raul Jimenez added a second-half header to put the result beyond doubt. The disciplinary side of the match then took over. South Africa finished with nine men after two red cards including one to Themba Zwane following a VAR review involving Roberto Alvarado. Cesar Montes was also sent off for Mexico in stoppage time.
Three dismissals in a single World Cup opener set a new record and left the tournament just one red card short of the total from the entire Qatar World Cup four years ago.
Advertisement
This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Jun 12, 2026, where it first appeared in the Soccer section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
