Fans Outraged as Fox Prioritizes Ads Over World Cup Action
WHO:
The Athletic - U.S. broadcaster Fox, FIFA, Ian Darke, Raul Jimenez, Carli Lloyd, Telemundo, ITV, Magenta TV, Telefé, DirecTV Sports, Australian and Danish broadcasters.
WHAT:
The Athletic - After Raul Jimenez’s goal, Fox aired around two minutes of ads, including a Verizon spot featuring David Beckham, a Bank of America commercial, and an Adidas ad featuring Lamine Yamal.
The Athletic - During the hydration break, players returned to the field around the 69:30 mark, but the referee, Wilton Sampaio, instructed South Africa to hold its kickoff, causing a 40-second delay.
The Athletic - Fox cut away to full-screen commercials during hydration breaks introduced for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The Athletic - Fox missed some match action during the second half of the opener between Mexico and South Africa.
Daily Mail Sports - Fans expressed outrage over Fox showing commercials during hydration breaks, calling it "embarrassing."
The Athletic - During the hydration break after Jimenez’s goal, Fox aired around two minutes of ads, including spots for Verizon, Bank of America, and Adidas.
WHERE:
The Athletic - Mexico City Stadium, Estadio Azteca.
WHEN:
The Athletic - FIFA announced the introduction of hydration breaks in December 2025.
The Athletic - The hydration break occurred after Raul Jimenez’s goal in the 67th minute of the match.
WHY:
The Athletic - FIFA promoted the hydration breaks as a “player welfare” measure.
HOW:
The Athletic - Fox broke the rule of returning to the match feed at least 30 seconds before play resumed during the second half of the match.
The Athletic - FIFA stated that the breaks would be called by the referee in all games, with no weather or temperature conditions in place.
The Athletic - Broadcasters were instructed that ad breaks should not start within 20 seconds of the referee’s whistle pausing play and should return to the match feed at least 30 seconds before play resumes.
(UPDATED June 12, 2026 17:52 UTC)
In a recent match, after Raul Jimenez scored, Fox aired about two minutes of advertisements, which included a Verizon spot featuring David Beckham and commercials from Bank of America and Adidas showcasing Lamine Yamal. During a hydration break, players returned to the field around the 69:30 mark, but referee Wilton Sampaio instructed South Africa to hold its kickoff, leading to a 40-second delay. Notably, Fox broke the rule requiring them to return to the match feed at least 30 seconds before play resumed in the second half.
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(UPDATED June 12, 2026 16:08 UTC)
During the opening match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup at Estadio Azteca, Fox faced backlash for airing full-screen commercials during hydration breaks, which were introduced as a player welfare measure. Fans were particularly outraged when the network cut away from the action after Raul Jimenez’s goal, showing about two minutes of ads for brands like Verizon and Adidas. FIFA had specified that broadcasters should avoid starting ad breaks within 20 seconds of a referee's whistle and return to the match feed at least 30 seconds before play resumes, but Fox's execution fell short of these guidelines.