During Thursday’s broadcast of the Korea Republic vs. Czechia on Telemundo, the announce team used the hydration break to address viewers directly, telling them the World Cup belonged to them and that the broadcast would not be taking a break from the action.

“This World Cup is ours — we’re not taking a break from it,” Telemundo’s Alejandro Figueredo and Jaime Macias told viewers during Thursday’s hydration break, in a roughly translated exchange relayed by LAFC play-by-play voice Maximiliano Bretos.

Telemundo announcers during hydration break saying “the World Cup is ours, we are not going to take a break (from the action).”#WorldCup — Maximiliano Bretos (@MaxBretosSports) June 12, 2026

FIFA announced in March that broadcasters would be allowed to sell advertising during the tournament’s mandatory hydration breaks, with a 20-second buffer before commercials can start and a requirement that networks return to the match feed at least 30 seconds before play resumes, roughly two minutes and ten seconds of available inventory per half, or as many as 832 commercial slots across the 104-match tournament.

Telemundo told Sports Business Journal before the tournament started that it would not use any of that inventory, staying on the match feed for replays and analysis during hydration breaks. Senior vice president of sports content Miguel Lorenzo said the network’s goal was to create an authentic viewing experience by never leaving the pitch once the clock starts running during a break.

“We’re going to be staying on the match feed,” Lorenzo said. “Fans are going to be able to watch the players and the coach’s interactions. We’ll be having important match replays. Our commentators will be analyzing the moments. None of that will be interrupted in any way. Our goal is to create an authentic World Cup viewing experience. We think we can do that in a lot of ways, and one of the most impactful ways is by never leaving the pitch once the clock starts running.”

Fox, which is paying a reported $485 million for its World Cup rights, opted to use the hydration breaks for advertising, airing full-screen commercials and promos with a split-screen option to stay on the field when possible. In the tournament opener between Mexico and South Africa, Fox returned from at least one hydration break after play had already resumed, missing live action in the process — outside the 30-second return window FIFA had set.

Awful Announcing sent an inquiry to Fox asking how Thursday’s mishap occurred, but the network declined to comment.

Whether Fox’s hydration break commercials become smoother as the tournament goes on, or whether Telemundo’s approach holds up over 104 matches without the same ad revenue, remains to be seen. For now, both networks have made their priorities clear to viewers.

Source: Awful Announcing