Virgil van Dijk calls out ‘not great’ World Cup water breaks but has a perfect solution
The World Cup is in full swing but hydration breaks have been annoying football fans across the world. Now, Virgil van Dijk has become the first player to criticise them.
There was plenty of drama ahead of the 2026 World Cup, with fans, teams and even referees struggling to gain entry into the USA - or failing to at all in Omar Artan's case - and it is continuing now the football has begun.
It's only been five days since the World Cup got underway and, while there has been plenty of drama and goals on the pitch, there remains frustrations elsewhere.
That's epitomised by FIFA's new directive of a mandatory three-minute water break in each half.
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The new regulations were brought in for the World Cup for player welfare, with the tournament taking place in some sweltering cities across the USA, Mexico and Canada.
However, frustrations have grown amongst spectators as a typical 90-minute game of two 45-minute halves has been effectively split into four quarters, typical of American sports like basketball and American football.
Those watching on television in America and other nations across the world have also been hit with mid-game advert breaks, with broadcasters taking advantage of the stop in play to insert extra commercials.
USA boss Mauricio Pochettino and pundits like Juan Mata and Ian Wright have expressed their annoyance with the breaks already.
Now, Netherlands captain Virgil van Dijk has become the first player competing in the World Cup to speak out against the breaks.
Van Dijk not happy with World Cup hydration breaks
"I think hydration breaks are really interesting," he said following his nation's opening 2-2 draw with Japan on Sunday.
“I have been watching almost all the games up until today, every time going to commercials... it's a bit... Not really, that I like it.
"I think for the neutral, watchers on TV, it’s also not great.”
The question was posed to Van Dijk as Netherlands vs Japan took place in the AT&T Stadium, Dallas, which has a retractable roof to shield those inside from the harsh Texas heat.
However, it wasn't even sunny during the match, as a storm hit Dallas. Yet, the water breaks were still enforced.
The Liverpool skipper did offer a compromise, though, and believes the water breaks should only be used if the conditions deem them necessary.
“If it’s really hot, it's good to put them in," Van Dijk added. "But you need to look at it in every game, separate, in my opinion."
“But I think I have said enough already."
What FIFA has said about water breaks
Water breaks are not new to football.
They were first officially introduced during the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, but were completely at the referee's discretion and typically only enforced if the temperature exceeded 32°C.
However, FIFA announced in December 2025 that hydration breaks would be mandatory in every game at the 2026 tournament, regardless of the conditions.
“For every game, no matter where the games are played, no matter if there’s a roof, (or) temperature-wise, there will be a three-minute hydration break. It will be three minutes from whistle to whistle in both halves,” Manolo Zubiria, Chief Tournament Officer, USA, said.
“Obviously, if there’s an injury (stoppage) at the moment of the 20th or 21st minute and it’s ongoing, this will be addressed on the spot with the referee."
Daniel Murphy