Although it’s not always high-scoring, soccer is a fast-paced and exciting game. Whether you’re a superfan or you can’t ever remember what offsides means, it can be hard to tear your eyes away from a match. If you fall into the latter category, however, you may be wondering how long a soccer match is. And while there’s a simple answer to that question – 90 minutes – the reality is slightly more complicated. Unlike many popular American sports, soccer is split into two halves instead of four quarters, and it has something called added time tacked to the end of each half. Plus, there’s halftime to consider
Here, we dig into how long soccer games really are, including whether there’s overtime, what added time is, and how long soccer halftimes are.
How Long Is a Soccer Game?
According to the rules of the game, as laid out by the International Football Association Board (IFAB), a standard soccer match lasts for 90 minutes of gameplay. This is divided into two equal halves of 45 minutes each.
The timing of both men’s and women’s soccer is the same, and the rules remain the same for the Olympics, for the World Cup, and for “regular” games outside of these major tournaments.
What Is Added Time in Soccer Games?
Something unique about soccer is that there are no commercial breaks for TV or team-requested timeouts like in American football, and the clock continues to run no matter what happens on-field. For example, when there’s an injury or the ball leaves the pitch (field), the clock doesn’t stop. Instead, according to IFAB’s rules, referees can make allowances for time “lost” through various events in each half by tacking on additional time to the end of the half. The list of events that may warrant added time includes:
- substitutions
- assessment and/or removal of injured players
- wasting time
- disciplinary sanctions
- medical stoppages permitted by competition rules, e.g. “drinks” breaks (which should not exceed one minute) and “cooling” breaks (ninety seconds to three minutes)
- delays relating to video assistant referee (VAR) checks and reviews
- any other cause, including any significant delay to a restart (e.g. goal celebrations)
These choices are largely left to the discretion of the referees. The only other main “rule” is that a timekeeping error in the first half cannot be compensated for by adding extra time to the second half. Also worth noting: there are no timeouts for the team to huddle and discuss strategy, as is common in other sports.
All this means that the 90 minutes is meant to refer to actual gameplay. In reality, a match will typically end longer than 90 minutes after it began, because there will be time added to make up for various stoppages and delays.
How Long Is Halftime During Soccer Games?
The two 45-minute halves of soccer games are separated by a halftime period. That halftime can last a maximum of 15 minutes. If both teams are on the field and ready to play sooner than 15 minutes, the ref can restart the game; however, in most cases, halftime lasts for the full 15 minutes allowed.
During halftime, teams can use the time to make substitutions, rest, hydrate, and strategize. It’s a well-deserved breather (TBH, for fans, too), considering there are very few stops in play during the game (more on that later). After the 15-minute halftime, the teams will also swap sides of the field.
Is There Overtime in Soccer?
In “regular” soccer games – outside of tournaments like the Olympics or the World Cup – soccer doesn’t usually go into “overtime.” If a game is tied at the end of the 90 minutes of regular play, it simply ends in a tie. Soccer, unlike many other sports, does allow for games to end in a tie, and the ranking systems have ways to reflect that.
At tournaments where a winner must be determined (i.e. at the World Cup), soccer does have overtime rules. In those cases, if a match is tied at the end of the regulation 90 minutes of gameplay, the game goes into an extra period, or what other sports might call “overtime.”
According to current FIFA rules, this extra period consists of two, 15-minute periods added on at the end of regulation time. If the game is still tied at the end of these 30 minutes of extra play, then the game’s outcome will be determined by a penalty shootout.
Is There a “Halftime” During Overtime?
During games that do go into overtime, there will be a mini halftime – what IFAB calls a “short drinks break” – of just one minute between the two 15-minute periods. If you need a top-up on your drink or you need to pee at this point in a match, go fast.
If there’s still no winner after those two periods and the game enters a penalty shootout, there are no predetermined breaks – and you’ll probably be so glued to the screen, you wouldn’t dream of walking away anyway.
Does TV Affect the Length of Soccer Games?
Technically, no. Being televised doesn’t really impact the actual length of soccer matches. The rules lay out how long the gameplay lasts and how long halftime lasts, so it’s not as if broadcasters can change those things. Most soccer matches are broadcast straight through, without commercial breaks – which is very different from how some other sports, like American football or baseball, are broadcast.
– Additional reporting by Lauren Mazzo and Mirel Zaman
Amanda Prahl is a freelance writer, playwright/lyricist, dramaturg, teacher, and copywriter/editor. Amanda has also contributed to Slate, Bustle, Mic, The Mary Sue, and others.
Lauren Mazzo was the senior fitness editor at POPSUGAR. She is a certified personal trainer and fitness nutrition specialist through the American Council on Exercise. Prior to joining POPSUGAR, she worked for six years as a writer and editor for Shape Magazine covering health, fitness, nutrition, mental health, sex and relationships, beauty, and astrology.
Mirel Zaman is the health and fitness director at POPSUGAR. She has 15 years of experience working in the health and wellness space, writing and editing articles about fitness, general health, mental health, relationships and sex, food and nutrition, astrology, spirituality, family and parenting, culture, and news.
