The officially named “cooling breaks” are a fixed part of every match at the 2026 World Cup. Each lasts three minutes and occurs twice per game. Besides cooling down in high temperatures, coaches increasingly use the breaks for tactical instructions.
Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann gave a positive assessment after the 7-1 win against Curacao. “The water break really helped,” he said. With the tactics board, he was able to show the players “what we had already adjusted before.” Earlier, Curacao had surprised with a diamond formation in midfield and equalized to make it 1-1.
Team boss Ralf Rangnick also welcomes the innovation: “I think it’s good because it gives the coaching staff another opportunity to address a few things, maybe also to correct and adjust a few things.” Striker Deniz Undav also sees advantages: “Now you have two additional chances during the game to change tactics.”
Source: www.zdfheute.de
