Forced Break Counter

THE FORCED BREAK

Climate change is rewriting the rules of the game. For the first time in football history, unsafe and rising global temperatures have forced FIFA to implement mandatory hydration breaks during matches.

Hydration Breaks | The Science | ClimaVAR | Take Action
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THE VOICES
WHAT IS A HYDRATION BREAK?

A Hydration Break is a pause during a football match where players leave the pitch to drink water, cool down, and rest. The match clock keeps running.

For the first time in tournament history, every match at the 2026 World Cup will include two three-minute Hydration Breaks - regardless of venue, conditions, or whether the stadium has a roof or air conditioning.

The breaks fall 22 minutes into each half.

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WHY WE CALL IT A FORCED BREAK

These breaks weren't chosen. They were forced into the game by rising temperatures, and into every match at the 2026 World Cup because heat is no longer something the sport can play through.

Calling them Hydration Breaks describes what players do during the pause. Calling them Forced Breaks shows climate change is making them unavoidable.

Every Forced Break is a moment the climate has interrupted the game.

WHY THIS MATTERS

Hydration Breaks were originally introduced to protect players in matches played in extreme conditions. Rising temperatures have since made these pauses a health necessity rather than a precaution. FIFA’s decision to apply them to every 2026 match reflects how widespread that risk has become.
14 of 16 World Cup stadiums already exceed safe-play thresholds for major climate hazards.

The Hydration Break isn't just a pause in the game. It's evidence of how climate change is reshaping football.

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MEDIA
PERFORMANCE SUFFERS IN LETHAL HEAT
For teams not acclimatised to heat, performance drops by around 3% for every 1°C increase in temperature. A few degrees of warming can have a measurable effect on match performance. [PMC]
Why? Heat affects both body and brain. Endurance, sprint performance, concentration and decision-making can all decline in hot conditions.
A missed pass late in the game may have a climate component. Losing just 2% of body weight through dehydration can impair attention, memory and decision-making. [British Journal of Sports Medicine]
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NASA Climate Spiral 1880-2022 [NASA]

Global temperatures are now over 1°C above pre-industrial levels, and 2025 was approximately 1.5°C warmer. At repeat World Cup host cities, extremely hot World Cup-season days now occur three times more often than they did before the 1986 and 1994 North American World Cups. [Climate Central]

THE BODY HAS A NARROW OPERATING RANGE
Your body is built to work best at around 36.5–37.5°C. To stay at that temperature, it relies on sweating and increased blood flow to release heat. [StatPearls]
A footballer's core temperature can reach 39–40°C during a match. Even before heatwaves, football already pushes the body close to its thermal limits. Extra environmental heat adds further strain. [MDPI]
HEAT MAKES COOLING HARDER
When temperatures rise, the body has to work harder to stay cool.  Sweating and increased blood flow help remove heat, but they also place additional strain on the body. [World Health Organization]
Players can lose 2–5% of their body weight through sweat in a single match. A 75 kg player could lose up to 3.75 kg of fluid during play if hydration isn't managed carefully. [PMC]
HUMIDITY MAKES HEAT MORE DANGEROUS
Sweat only cools the body if it can evaporate. High humidity slows evaporation, making it harder for the body to lose heat. [EHP]
Even at the exact same temperature, a high-humidity match is much more punishing for soccer players because the moisture-heavy air blocks their sweat from evaporating.
SAFETY BECOMES THE PRIORITY
Extreme heat can lead to heat exhaustion and heatstroke. This is why cooling breaks, hydration and schedule changes are increasingly used in football. [FIFPRO]
Kick-off time may be chosen by the thermometer. In a hotter world, matches may need to move to safer hours, especially in tournaments, sunny stadiums and humid regions. [BMJ]
CLIMATE CHANGE INCREASES THE RISK
As temperatures rise, extreme heat events become more frequent and intense. This increases the likelihood of dangerous playing conditions for both professional and grassroots football. [World Weather Attribution]
Heat can reach a point where playing isn't possible. A 2023 study projected that combinations of heat and humidity could become severe enough in some regions to make outdoor activity unsafe for hours, days or even weeks by the end of the century. [Earth.org]
    THE REFEREE
    Meet ClimaVAR: your AI-powered climate referee that fact-checks any climate claim against peer-reviewed science in seconds. Give it a try!
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    TAKE ACTION

    Next Forced Break? Post.
The pause. The blank screen. The empty pitch. Show how climate change is reshaping football.
Use #ForcedBreak and #WorldCup2026. Tag @projectbasecamp and @fifaworldcup.

    WANT TO DO MORE?
    Learn about the work of Project Basecamp and how you can support climate action beyond the tournament. Visit ProjectBasecamp.org.
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    COLLABORATORS
    This campaign is a collective effort powered by leading climate organizations, academic institutions and grassroots sports movements working to secure the future of football.
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