Maradona's eight-year-old prediction about the 2026 World Cup goes viral
Hydration breaks and ad slots revive Maradona’s concerns over US-led World Cup
It almost feels as if Diego Maradona saw this coming.
An interview with the late Argentine legend Diego Maradona, who sadly passed away on November 25, 2020, at the age of 60, has resurfaced on social media during the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with many fans claiming one of his biggest fears about football is slowly becoming a reality.
Back in 2018, shortly after the United States, Canada and Mexico were confirmed as the hosts of the 2026 World Cup, Maradona launched a passionate attack on the North American sporting model. The 1986 World Cup winner believed football's traditional format would eventually be altered to satisfy television broadcasters and commercial interests.
Speaking on an Argentine television programme, Maradona said: "They will divide the game into four halves instead of two to insert advertisements. Compare it, you will see."
While that prediction has not literally come true, his comments are being widely shared because of the number of official hydration breaks during this World Cup.
Several matches across the United States have been interrupted by mandatory cooling breaks introduced by FIFA to protect players, referees and match officials during periods of extreme heat. These stoppages are primarily intended as a player welfare measure, but they also extend the broadcast window and naturally create extra opportunities for advertisements, something Maradona warned about years ago.
The debate has only intensified because hydration breaks have also been seen in air conditioned indoor stadiums and at venues where temperatures have been relatively moderate. That has prompted some fans to question whether the breaks are solely about player welfare, while others maintain that FIFA is simply following its medical protocols.
Maradona was also strongly against awarding the tournament to the United States. He argued that the country lacked football tradition and questioned whether commercial interests would eventually take priority over the game itself.
"They have no passion for football," he said at the time. "Canadians may be good skiers, and Americans wanted to divide the game into four 25 minute halves for advertising purposes."
Whether fans agree with him or not, Maradona's comments have returned to the spotlight as hydration breaks have become one of the biggest talking points of the 2026 World Cup.
