Mia Hamm, the iconic face of U.S. women's soccer, has been glued to the 2026 FIFA Men's World Cup—but she's not loving everything she's seeing. While cheering for the USMNT, which has opened group play with two wins, Hamm is raising a red flag over one of the tournament's newest features: mandatory hydration breaks.
The breaks, introduced for player safety in the North American heat, pause the action midway through each half. But Hamm argues they're doing more harm than good. "I'm just not a fan," she told USA TODAY. "It can be a momentum change for a lot of teams that are really going after teams."
Hamm, who lifted the World Cup trophy in 1999, sees these pauses as a golden opportunity for coaches to micromanage. "Then all of a sudden you get a break and now these coaches have iPads on the sideline. They're getting information from coaches that are sitting in different areas of the field," she explained. "You can make big tactical changes in those three minutes that are given. That can really change the course of the way your team is playing."
This isn't the first time the World Cup's format has sparked debate. Earlier, Dave Portnoy's wild rule change ideas made purists cringe, and now Hamm is adding her voice to the chorus of critics. She believes the decision to call a break should be made game by game, not forced across the board.
"I understand why they did it and why they planned it," Hamm said. "But I think right now the whole thing about the game of soccer is the coach gets to talk to you before the match and at halftime, and you've got to really figure it out on your own. You can try to make tactical changes at certain aspects of the game, but you can't really hear your coaches during the match."
For Hamm, the beauty of soccer lies in its uninterrupted flow and the players' ability to adapt on the fly. "I just would rather them play 45 minutes with added time straight through rather than cutting it short," she added. Her stance echoes concerns from purists who worry that these breaks are turning the beautiful game into a chess match with too many timeouts.
The USMNT, meanwhile, is set to wrap up group stage play against Turkey on Thursday, and Hamm is hopeful for a deep run. But as the tournament progresses, the debate over hydration breaks is unlikely to cool down. With players, coaches, and legends like Hamm speaking out, FIFA may face growing pressure to rethink its approach.
As the World Cup continues, all eyes will be on how these breaks impact high-stakes knockout matches. Will they level the playing field or sap the drama? Hamm has made her stance clear—and she's not backing down.
