Toronto booed the crap out of FIFA's World Cup hydration break

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The FIFA World Cup's new hydration breaks have been a hot topic throughout the tournament, but the breaks may have hit their low point Wednesday night in Toronto.

As nearly 43,000 passionate fans were on hand at Toronto Stadium for a rain-soaked Group K match between Ghana and Panama, both of the match's hydration breaks were met with loud boos.

The reaction to these mandatory stoppages were louder, at times, than a reaction to the referee missing a foul, and even both coaches felt the stoppages killed the momentum.

🚨TRENDING: The entire stadium booing FIFA’s new hydration break at the Ghana vs Panama match pic.twitter.com/l9kvI6VMpW
— Polymarket Sports (@PolymarketSport) June 18, 2026

Panama had been pressing Ghana before both breaks were called, and afterward, Panama head coach Thomas Christiansen said the breaks did his team more harm than good.

"The break didn't help us at all," Christiansen said during the post-game press conference.

"If you make a break, there needs to be corrections around the weather. But I guess ads are something we agreed on."

For the first time in tournament history, FIFA introduced so-called "hydration breaks" midway through each half, saying the measure was designed to protect players from heat and fatigue.

Ghana manager Carlos Queiroz, who is coaching at his fifth FIFA World Cup, had similar comments and concerns to Christiansen.

"I think these breaks should be adapted to certain weather conditions," Queiroz said after Ghana's 1-0 win. "Today, I had my doubts. But we have to do it."

Queiroz went a step further, suggesting that FIFA should conduct a review after the tournament to determine whether these breaks actually benefited players.

Wednesday's weather at Toronto Stadium was 7°C cooler than last week's opening match between Canada and Bosnia and Herzegovina. The temperature at the opening whistle was around 20°C before dropping to 17°C by the end of the match.