Hydration breaks were, Fifa said, introduced to benefit player welfare, and sporting integrity meant they must be used equally in every single match.
Even in the air-conditioned stadiums of Atlanta, Dallas, Houston and Vancouver.
TV companies outside the UK switched to ads, which were allowed to begin 20 seconds after the referee blew the whistle and must have end 30 seconds before the action started again.
As the tournament went on, the boos from supporters got louder, such was the frustration at the stoppages.
Experts told BBC Sport that an average 30-second World Cup ad slot on Fox Sports in the US costs between $200,000 (£152,000) and $300,000 (£227,000), rising to $750,000 (£567,000) during USA matches and the final stages.
They were effectively tactical timeouts, with coaches getting devices out to run through tactical changes with the players. The course of several matches were altered.
Could we see them in other leagues?
Uefa has already ruled it out, and it is difficult to see them being accepted in the top European leagues.
But it would be no surprise to see them return for the next World Cup.