"We'll see now in the World Cup if they can allow that." Mauricio Pochettino didn't have to wait long for an answer. FIFA has confirmed it: the laptop is in.
Twenty-two minutes into Sunday's friendly against Senegal, Pochettino hauled out a laptop during the hydration break and waved his players over to crowd around the screen. Film review. Mid-game tactical adjustments. At a water break. The internet laughed — until the USMNT beat 14th-ranked Senegal 3-2, and suddenly everyone stopped laughing.
What FIFA actually allows
The governing body confirmed to The Athletic that laptops can be used at all times on the sideline, including during water breaks. The only hardware restriction comes from IFAB regulations: equipment must be "mobile and handheld" — so no rolling out a 65-inch flatscreen, but a laptop clears the bar comfortably.
The 2026 World Cup introduces two mandatory three-minute hydration breaks per match — one per half — which will also serve as advertising windows, effectively quartering every game. That's six minutes of structured downtime per match that coaches have never systematically weaponized before. Pochettino just showed the whole world how.
Pochettino did break one rule on Sunday: the on-field players crossed the touchline into the dugout to see the screen. At the World Cup, players currently in the match must stay on the field. Coaches will need to bring the screen to the edge of the touchline rather than the other way around. A minor logistical fix, not a dealbreaker.
Why every coaching staff is watching this
The tactical implications are real. Three minutes is enough time to show a center-back how the opposition striker is making his runs, or to flag that your fullback keeps getting exposed on the overlap. It's not a halftime talk — it's a live correction. In a knockout tournament where one goal ends your summer, that edge matters.
Other nations will copy this. Some already have analysts on the bench with tablets — Pochettino just made explicit what others were doing quietly. Expect every serious 2026 contender to have a tactical screen protocol ready before the opener on June 11.
The tournament kicks off across the U.S., Canada, and Mexico — the first co-hosted edition, the first with 48 teams, and now apparently the first where coaches can run a film session at the quarter-mark of a game. Any team's in-play odds could start shifting not just at halftime, but at the 23rd and 68th minute too.
"When they see the image, it's really important," Pochettino said. He's right. And now everyone knows it.
