Online Reporter
FIFA has confirmed that head coaches may use laptops and other electronic devices during mandatory hydration breaks at the 2026 World Cup, sources told The Athletic, following US men’s national team coach Mauricio Pochettino’s use of a MacBook during Sunday’s 3-2 friendly victory over Senegal.
Pochettino gathered his players around a laptop screen in the dugout during the first of two three-minute breaks in the match, with analyst Alex Scott holding the device while the Argentine pointed out tactical details from video footage.
FIFA sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed to The Athletic that the practice is permitted under existing laws of the game. The International Football Association Board’s regulations explicitly allow coaches and backroom staff to use laptops, tablets, smartphones, and other small handheld devices for tactical purposes during matches.
One distinction will apply at the World Cup. Unlike Sunday’s friendly, players will be required to remain on the field during hydration breaks and cannot step into the dugout. However, nothing in the regulations prevents players from gathering at the touchline to view footage on a device while staying on the pitch.
FIFA announced in December that every World Cup fixture will include mandatory three-minute hydration breaks in each half regardless of weather conditions, the first time such a rule has been introduced at the tournament. Referees will call the breaks uniformly across all matches to ensure consistent conditions.
The breaks also carry commercial implications. Broadcasters have been cleared to air advertisements during the pauses, though FIFA has set guardrails requiring them to return to coverage 30 seconds before play resumes. Networks that do not fully cut away are restricted to selling time exclusively to FIFA sponsors rather than outside advertisers.
Pochettino, despite previously expressing reservations about the mandated breaks, appeared ready to use them to his advantage on Sunday.
“We’ll see now in the World Cup if they can allow that, and how we are going to do that,” he told reporters after the match.
DAN SHELDON/THE ATHLETIC
