Countdown to 2026 FIFA World Cup begins as lawmakers prepare for Capitol Cup soccer match
‘Fox & Friends’ covers the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup, the countdown to the global football event. Former USMNT midfielder Stu Holden joins live from Audi Field to discuss the Capitol Cup Congressional soccer match. Holden highlights the growing enthusiasm for soccer in the US and the chances of the national team being underdogs in the World Cup before engaging in a light-hearted penalty kick challenge.
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FIFA’s matchday rules in the United States, Mexico and Canada for the World Cup are much stricter than those for regular sporting events, and that only continued on Thursday.
With just a week to go before the start of the first match, FIFA has banned the use of refillable plastic water bottles inside stadiums.
This is a change from the original rules, which stated that refillable bottles were allowed if the weather was hot enough to warrant it. Now, FIFA says no bottles are allowed, whatever the case may be.
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An advertisement for the 2026 FIFA World Cup is displayed during a Major League Soccer match between Toronto FC and FC Cincinnati at BMO Field in Toronto, Ontario, on April 11, 2026. (Indrawan Kumala/NurPhoto)
“FIFA is committed to protecting the health and safety of all players, referees, fans, volunteers and staff,” FIFA told Reuters.
“FIFA made the decision to ban bottles to prevent risks and injuries to players and assistants.”
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It was previously believed that refillable water bottles were going to be a good use for football fans attending matches because FIFA had told the Free Lions, a traveling embassy of fans of the England national team, that the governing body had promised access to free water.
“In all our discussions, free access to water in stadiums was a key issue and FIFA assumed that this would be the case and that fans will have the possibility to bring their own water bottle,” Free Lions wrote on social media, while showing a graphic saying refillable bottles would be allowed.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup countdown clock is displayed at Nathan Phillips Square in Toronto on August 21, 2025. (Andrew Francis Wallace/Toronto Star)
FIFA also blames certain stadiums used for the World Cup, saying they are simply applying rules that already exist there.
With the World Cup taking place in the middle of summer, hot conditions are one of the biggest question marks, especially since some of these players participated in the Club World Cup last year. The final at MetLife Stadium, now called New York/New Jersey Stadium for the World Cup, was a scorcher last summer.
While this new rule is in effect, FIFA had also previously told NPR that it would provide “additional cooling capacity, including shade areas, misting systems, cooling buses, and expanded water distribution” in the event of extreme heat. It is unknown if this remains in effect before the tournament.
Ecuador fans before the first half of the 2026 FIFA World Cup pre-2026 friendly match against Saudi Arabia on May 30, 2026 at Sports Illustrated Stadium in Harrison, New Jersey. (Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) (Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
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For fans, this question remains, but players will have a mandatory three-minute cool-down break around the 22nd minute of each half to ensure they don’t suffer heat exhaustion. Night games will also help, as will domed stadiums like SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, AT&T Stadium in Dallas and Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
The World Cup final, however, will take place in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on July 19 at 3 pm ET, which will be the highest temperature of the day at the first whistle.
