The 2026 World Cup in Mexico, Canada and the United States is leaving behind a multitude of images. After the dthe green object that Ismaël Koné carried after his serious injuryanother similar action has occurred in the United States – Australia in which he has been involved the first referee of the match Felix Zwayer who was close to not being able to continue calling the match.
It does not always have to be the football players who have physical discomfort or cannot continue their match; referees can also suffer these consequences. As a result of this, an image of the referee pausing the match after having to lie down on the field of play leaving the doubt as to whether he himself could finalize the referee’s direction of the match.
What referee Felix Zwayer took after suffering cramps at the 2026 World Cup: the liquid that allowed him to finish the match
Pickle juice, an increasingly common natural remedy in sports
With Felix Zwayer lying on the pitch with clear signs that he was having a cramp, doubts were raised regarding his possible continuity. All under the watchful eye of the match linemen and a Folarin Balogunforward from the United States, who was aware of what was happening and did not miss a single detail of this scene that the German referee was starring in.
It was at that moment when he was going to enter the field of play the fourth referee of the match Katia Itzel to try to rescue her teammate. It was minute 3 of added time in the second half at Seattle Stadium, the physical effort had been enormous and there was only one last push left in order to finish the match corresponding to Group D of this 2026 World Cup.
The Mexican referee walked around the entire field of play, from her position in the center of the field, to give him a special drink that was in a small jar and that could be clearly seen on the television signal. a liquidtotally natural, commonly used by referees and high-performance athletes to combat this type of muscle problems.
A drink that simply is pickle juice, a mixture made primarily of water, vinegar, and saltcharacterized by its high sodium and electrolyte content, which allowed the referee to get up to finish refereeing the match without any problems.
Pickle juice is a natural remedy increasingly used in high-performance sports.
The scientific explanation: Why could the referee end the game after drinking pickle juice?
What happened has a scientific explanation that makes it clear what happened in the match with Félix Zwayer. The acetic acid present in vinegar stimulates neurological receptors that help stop involuntary muscle contractions within 60 seconds. Although that is not all, its high concentration of salts promotes hydration and fluid retention after intense effort, which is why many athletes and referees consume it in small doses before or during physically demanding competitions.