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Fox Sports has held the broadcasting rights to the FIFA World Cup in the United States since the 2018 tournament in Russia, and have received mixed reviews for their coverage.
Coming into the 2026 World Cup on home soil, the U.S. network broadcaster was primed to improve its product, bringing top talent like Rebecca Lowe and Thierry Henry over to the studio show.
However, a new wrinkle in the game has allowed the broadcaster to exploit a gap in coverage and sell more advertising space, and its execution has irked viewers who have been subjected to an unforced break in the match.
During the opening match of the 2026 tournament, Fox's misstep in implementing this new break caught the attention of fans on social media, who lambasted the broadcaster for a "brutal and embarrassing" own goal.
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Fox goes to full screen commercials during hydration breaks
FIFA announced that throughout the 2026 World Cup, all matches will feature hydration breaks during each half, regardless of temperature, weather, or environment.
Broadcast companies around the world made use of this opportunity to varying degrees. In the United States, Spanish-language broadcaster Telemundo stayed with live action, showing just an advertising banner, while English-language rights-holder Fox Sports decided to cut away completely to full-screen ads.
This was jarring for many soccer viewers who are used to full 45-minute action ad-free, and felt a mid-half commercial break rips viewers from the experience of the action. There is plenty for the broadcasters to discuss even during a stoppage in play without fully cutting to break, but many broadcasters took the opportunity to make some extra cash.
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Fox criticized for missing live action in Mexico vs. South Africa break
Because fans around the globe were unsettled by commercial breaks being shown during live action, there was a sensitivity to the practice that is new at the 2026 World Cup, causing many to believe the game has strayed dangerously close to an over-commercialization.
Thus, Fox's misstep in the second half of the 2026 opener between Mexico and South Africa was caught by many viewers and slammed on social media.
During the second-half hydration break in the opening match of the tournament, Fox failed to return from its commercial break on time, missing live action. Once the broadcast returned to the game, play had already resumed. While nothing notable was missed, it was a jarring experience for viewers who are used to decades of seamless coverage of live action without interruption.
Fox commercial breaks are already spilling over into the actual match. This was always how it was going to go.
This was such an easy thing not to screw up, and they've done it on day one. Completely changes the feel of the match. It's awful.
Paul Tenorio of The Athletic called the whiff "brutal and embarrassing" on social media, as it came less than 90 minutes into tournament coverage. Tenorio's colleague Tom Bogert, meanwhile, branded Fox's effort to squeeze out some exgtra income at the expense of the viewer to be "absolutely ridiculous conceit."
Others begged Fox to "stop this f-----g nonsense" as the game played on without viewers on hand to see it.
English (US)