Reports suggest that the Premier League will ‘find it hard to overlook’ a major rule change after its success at the World Cup, despite any plans to introduce likely to be met with strong opposition from fans.

Indeed, there were sweeping changes at this summer’s tournament, including an expansion in the number of teams that could qualify, adjustments to the yellow-card threshold, and the introduction of new technology such as Snicko, incorporated into the ball to help VAR make crucial decisions and determine who touched the ball last.

The least popular changes, however, have been those that have brought a stronger sense of Americanism to the beautiful game. A half-time show at this year’s final will feel worlds away from football’s working-class traditions, and another change in a similar vein could be heading to England sooner than many might expect.

Hugely Unpopular World Cup Rule Could Hit Premier League

REUTERS/Henry Romero

FIFA’s decision to mandate three-minute pauses midway through each half of each game has been subject to heavy backlash from those inside the stadium, with jeering commonplace as a result. The breaks disrupt the momentum of matches and have been criticised by both coaches and players as well.

But while hydration breaks are detested by many, they are proving a goldmine for TV broadcasters, and could soon become the norm. An extra four minutes and 20 seconds of advertising space per game has been sold this summer. Across the entire tournament, that’s an added seven hours, 30 minutes and 40 seconds of ads served to viewers worldwide.

In the United States alone, an average 30-second World Cup slot on Fox Sports costs between $200,000 and $300,000, according to ESPN. That price rises to around $750,000 during the closing stages of the competition. With potential for eight extra 30-second ad slots per game, hydration breaks alone are likely to generate more than $250m.

That figure alone is more than half of the $485m Fox paid for the English-language rights to the tournament, and would undoubtedly be a mouth-watering prospect that broadcasters in the Premier League, La Liga, Serie A, and Bundesliga would find hard to shy away from too much longer.

“The legacy of this summer’s World Cup is not likely to be political interference or referee conspiracies that benefit Lionel Messi. It’s going to be hydration breaks,” sports business reporter Ben Strauss wrote Monday, as per the same report.

He also suggests that, after speaking to a dozen media and soccer executives, the breaks are ‘likely to become a key topic in media rights negotiations going forward.’

“It would be hard to move backwards once hydration breaks have been shown to work because of the dollars associated with it,” David Levy, the former president of Turner who now runs a sports marketing agency,” told ESPN.

And while it might not be introduced to European football right away, the MLS and NWSL will almost certainly implement the breaks soon enough, given the advertisement culture of other US sports, which are rooted in franchise models.

Ibrahima Konate made his first start at the 2026 World Cup on Saturday evening as France took on England in the third-place play-off, and fans have revealed exactly what they thought of the new Real Madrid signing’s performance.

Les Blues were knocked out of the tournament on Tuesday night when they were beaten by Spain in Dallas. This set up the ‘bronze final’ in Miami against the Three Lions, who lost to Argentina in Atlanta on Wednesday, and it certainly didn’t disappoint.

England stormed into a 4-0 lead in the first half, courtesy of a brace from Bukayo Saka, along with strikes from Declan Rice and Ezri Konsa.

France threatened to complete a remarkable comeback in the second period, scoring four times to reduce the deficit to one goal for a short spell, but they were ultimately unable to pull off this incredible feat, as Thomas Tuchel’s side claimed the bronze medals.

Ibrahima Konate Produces Disastrous Performance vs England

France’s Ibrahima Konate via REUTERS/Paul Childs

After five years on Merseyside, Konate opted to leave Liverpool this summer, rejecting a new contract offer to sign for Real Madrid on a free transfer.

Despite completing this blockbuster move to the Bernabeu, Deschamps evidently isn’t a keen admirer of the centre-back, favouring William Saliba and Dayot Upamecano throughout the competition. However, the France boss did grant Konate a start in Les Blues’ final match of the tournament.

It’s safe to say the defender didn’t repay Deschamps for this show of faith. Konate produced a diabolical opening 45 minutes before being replaced by Upamecano at half-time.

All at sea for multiple England goals, the 27-year-old struggled with the intensity of Tuchel’s forwards’ movement, looking lost positionally whilst also struggling in possession.

The disastrous nature of Konate’s display is reflected in the stats. The defender committed two fouls, made no tackles, no interceptions and won just one of his four ground duels.

Fans React to Ibrahima Konate’s Display vs England

Unsurprisingly, fans weren’t overly impressed with Konate’s performance against the Three Lions. Many Liverpool and Real Madrid supporters took to social media to mock the player’s out-of-sorts showing.

The display prompted one fan to question Real Madrid’s investment in him: “Konate being on £400,000 PER WEEK at Madrid needs to be investigated.”

Another wrote: “Saliba out and Konate first start this World Cup and France are drinking goals and shots like it’s nothing.”

Meanwhile, a Liverpool supporter added: “Ngl getting rid of Konate for free was a blessing in disguise. Poor Real Madrid.”

Another fan posited: “Real Madrid Galactico signing Ibrahima Konaté finally gets his first start at the World Cup, and he’s been stinking the whole place.”

A Los Blancos supporter chimed in on the conversation, expressing concern about the signing: “Konate conceded 3 goals in 35 minutes. We’re gonna be paying him 20m per year by the way.”

Konate will now take three or four weeks off to rest and recuperate, before reporting for Real Madrid training ahead of his new chapter in the Spanish capital.

Patrick Vieira has revealed the damning reason Michael Olise gave to him about choosing to play for the French national team over England.

Olise has now made 26 caps for France, enjoying an outstanding couple of years in Didier Deschamps’ ranks. While Les Blues fell short at the semi-final stage, losing comfortably to Spain in Dallas on Tuesday, the Bayern Munich winger has played a key role in France’s 2026 World Cup campaign.

Given his status as one of the best attacking players in world football, he’s likely to continue contributing to his country’s exploits at international tournaments for several years.

Many will be aware that Olise was also eligible to play for the Three Lions, but won’t know why he opted to represent England’s continental counterparts — Vieira has revealed what the player himself told him.

Patrick Vieira Reveals What Olise Told Him About Picking France Over England

Born in White City in west London, Olise could have chosen to play for England. He grew up in the United Kingdom’s capital city, spending time in the academies of Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City, before eventually settling at Reading in 2017.

When it came to selecting which team to represent at international level, Olise had several options. He was eligible to play for Nigeria through his father, while his mother’s rich heritage made him eligible for Haiti, Algeria and France.

He ultimately opted for Les Bleus, making his under-18s debut in 2019 before representing France at the under-21s level and at the Olympics, and eventually making his senior debut in 2024.

Vieira, who coached Olise at Crystal Palace between 2021 and 2023, has revealed what Olise told him about his choice of international team, and England fans won’t like it.

“There was no question of England or anything else,” he told L’Equipe.

“He told me he had always been a supporter of the French national team. And he also explained to me that he had a better chance of becoming a world champion with Les Bleus than with England.”

Michael Olise on Why He Selected France Instead of England

REUTERS/Dylan Martinez

Olise might have made this bold claim in private to Vieira, but he wasn’t willing to be quite this open when speaking about his decision to represent France publicly.

In an interview with Highsnobiety, the playmaker explained that he grew up following iconic French players, while he also enjoyed his time travelling in the country as a child.

“The players I followed when I was young were French: [Zinedine] Zidane, Thierry Henry, [Franck] Ribery,” he said.

“And I always came to France when I was young. It felt more natural.”

Ultimately, the choice was Olise’s, and people are allowed to feel more connected to certain parts of their roots than others.