Soccer legend Diego Maradona made a prediction about this year’s World Cup which seems to have come to fruition.
Maradona, celebrated for his iconic World Cup triumph with Argentina in 1986 following the ‘Hand of God’ goal, voiced his thoughts back in 2018 regarding the US, Canada, and Mexico hosting the World Cup.
The football legend, who passed away in 2020, expressed his displeasure with the US hosting the World Cup for a particular reason, a concern that has since been validated.
This pertains to the controversial ‘hydration breaks’ that FIFA has mandated during matches, sparking criticism from both fans and pundits for these interruptions that briefly halt the game.
The official rationale for the breaks is to allow players to hydrate, but there’s an underlying motive as well.
The additional advertising space during these breaks, akin to the Super Bowl, was a point Maradona highlighted. He remarked, “There’s no passion. The Canadians may be good skiers, and the Americans wanted to have four periods of 25 [minutes] for the advertising.”
FIFA had previously established rules for water breaks during the Qatar World Cup due to potential health risks posed by extreme temperatures.
In that tournament, water breaks were implemented if the temperature exceeded 32C (about 89.6F), calculated using the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature, which also considers humidity.
The use of air-conditioned stadiums in Qatar meant that these breaks weren’t necessary in practice.
For this tournament, however, the breaks have become mandatory regardless of the weather conditions.
While Maradona’s prediction about the US segment of the World Cup with the ad or hydration breaks might be accurate, not all his predictions were spot on.
Another forecast by Maradona was, “Mexico doesn’t deserve it. The Mexicans come up against Brazil or Germany… and ‘boom,’ they’re out.”
Currently, Mexico ranks third in the group stage, joining two other teams in remaining unbeaten so far.
With a goal difference of six, Mexico follows France, with a difference of eight, and Argentina, with a difference of seven.
Brazil stands at seven points, having won two matches and drawn one, while Germany has won two and lost one, placing Mexico ahead of both.
Statistics indicate that Mexico currently outperforms the teams Maradona mentioned, though the outcome remains open as the knock-out stage approaches.
Number of goals: 19
World Cups: Six – 2006 (one goal), 2010 (no goals), 2014 (four goals), 2018 (one goal), 2022 (seven goals), 2026 (six goals at time of writing)
Number of matches played: 29
Number of goals: 16
World Cups: Three – 2018 (four goals), 2022 (eight goals), 2026 (four goals at time of writing)
Number of matches played: 17
Number of goals: 16
World Cups: Four – 2002 (five goals), 2006 (five goals), 2010 (four goals), 2014 (two goals)
Number of matches played: 24
Number of goals: 15
World Cups: Four – 1994 (no goals), 1998 (four goals), 2002 (eight goals), 2006 (three goals)
Number of matches played: 19
Number of goals: 14
World Cups: Two – 1970 (10 goals), 1974 (four goals)
Number of matches played: 13
Number of goals: 13
World Cups: One – 1958
Number of matches played: Six
