Netherlands captain Virgil van Dijk has taken aim at FIFA over the organisation's decision to schedule mandatory hydration breaks throughout the FIFA World Cup 2026, arguing the rule should only apply when conditions genuinely demand it.

Van Dijk spoke out after Netherlands' opening group match in Dallas — a bruising affair in which the Dutch surrendered the lead twice against Japan before settling for a draw. Van Dijk himself scored but also drew criticism for elements of his defensive display.

Not the right call every time

The temperature inside the Dallas stadium was recorded at approximately 20 degrees Celsius during the match — a figure Van Dijk pointed to when questioning the blanket application of the rule.

"Hydration breaks are a bit interesting because I was obviously watching almost all the games, up until today and every time going to a commercial is a bit… not really what I like," he told reporters.

"I think also for the neutral watchers on TV it's also not great. So if it's really hot it would be good to put them in, but you have to look at it in every game separately in my opinion," he added, before closing the topic with a rueful smile: "I think I've said enough already on that."

Wider discontent with FIFA's approach

Van Dijk's remarks land at a moment when FIFA is facing broader scrutiny over how it has managed this summer's tournament. Inflated ticket prices attracted sustained negative coverage ahead of the competition and appeared to contribute to a number of noticeably empty seats during the opening round of matches.

Official attendance figures have repeatedly failed to match what observers could see with their own eyes inside the venues, and FIFA's attempts to account for the discrepancies have generated more questions than answers.