Fox cuts – Fox’s World Cup coverage sparked a wave of anger on Thursday night after the network cut to full-screen commercials during hydration breaks in the opening match between Mexico and South Africa—leaving viewers to miss action and raising questions over whether F
For a lot of World Cup fans, the tournament’s first match didn’t start with the ball at all—it started with an interruption.
As Mexico got the competition underway against South Africa in Mexico City on Thursday. Fox’s coverage went wrong in a sequence that viewers felt was relentless. The US network initially drew criticism for failing to show a pregame on-field performance by Shakira. It didn’t take long for that frustration to turn into something sharper.
Fox then cut to a commercial in the middle of the opening game, including during both mid-half hydration breaks. Commentator Ian Darke introduced those ads as being “powered by Powerade.” After full-screen ads ran during the breaks. the broadcast returned only three seconds after play had resumed between Mexico and South Africa.
Fans reacted immediately on social media. One user wrote: “Fox Sports was playing so many commercials during the hydration break that the game restarted before they were done. Enough, man. Stop this f***ing nonsense.” Another said: “Is @FOXSports seriously showing commercials in the middle of a half of World Cup football?. What the f*** is going on?. This is embarrassing.” A third posted: “Commercial breaks mid match during the hydration breaks are going to ruin this world cup for Americans. Disgusting practice from Fox….”.
The complaints weren’t limited to the gameplay. In the build-up. Fox also came under fire for not showing Shakira’s performance as part of the opening ceremony. which also featured Burna Boy. J Balvin and other artists. Telemundo, the Spanish-language rightsholder in the US, showed the performance in full. Fox. by contrast. cut away to four of its analysts—Rebecca Lowe. Thierry Henry. Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Alexi Lalas—on screen from an empty stadium in Los Angeles.
Behind the outrage is a clear regulatory concern. Henry Bushnell of The Athletic said FIFA’s rules for broadcasters during hydration breaks are that any cut-away ad break should not start within 20 seconds of the referee’s whistle pausing play. and the match feed should return more than 30 seconds before play resumes. Fox’s timing broke those rules in the first match of the 104 it will show over the next five weeks. though it remains unclear whether any punishment will follow.
Hydration breaks were introduced at this summer’s World Cup to combat extreme temperatures after a heat wave at the Club World Cup in the US last year. FIFA mandated three-minute hydration breaks for all matches, including games in arenas with a retractable roof.
Unlike Fox, Telemundo had promised not to cut to full-screen commercials during the hydration breaks, though it could use some picture-in-picture ads. Sports Business Journal reported on Thursday that Fox plans to use some hydration breaks for commercials and others for mid-game analysis.
In Mexico City, the match still delivered its own drama. Mexico won 2-0 in the opening World Cup game, with South Africa reduced to nine men after two red cards. The hosts also received a late sending off.
But for viewers watching at home, the anger has been fixed on a different kind of timeout: the moment the broadcast chose ads over action, and the tournament moment they say they were forced to miss.
World Cup 2026 Fox Sports Mexico vs South Africa hydration breaks Ian Darke Shakira performance Powerade FIFA broadcasting rules Telemundo Thierry Henry Zlatan Ibrahimovic Alexi Lalas Rebecca Lowe fan reaction
Why are they even allowed to do that mid-game, like it’s not enough ads already?
I didn’t even watch the match because I kept hearing it cut out like every 5 minutes. Also Shakira should’ve been on the screen, that’s literally the point.
So they cut right when the hydration break started and the game “restarted” after ads? That sounds like the broadcaster accidentally hit pause on the whole stadium. If it was only 3 seconds then who was even supposed to benefit from commercials?
This is what happens when the network cares more about Powerade sponsorship than actual sports. Next thing you know they’ll miss the whole goal and blame the ref or the WiFi. Like Telemundo would’ve shown Shakira, right? Idk, but Fox doing this feels embarrassing for real.