How Long Is a Soccer Game? Halves, Stoppage Time and Extra Time
How long is a soccer game? A match is two 45-minute halves with a break of up to 15 minutes, plus added time, and extra time when a winner is required.
A soccer game is made up of two halves, each 45 minutes long, which gives 90 minutes of playing time. Between the halves, players are entitled to a break of no more than 15 minutes. On top of that, the referee adds time at the end of each half for time that was lost, and some competitions also use extra time and a penalty shoot-out when they need a winner.
These rules come from the Laws of the Game, written by The IFAB. Law 7 deals with the length of a match, and Law 10 explains how a result is decided. The sections below go through each part in turn.
How Long Is a Soccer Game in Regular Time?
Under Law 7, each match is split into two halves of equal length, and each half runs for 45 minutes. Together, that is 90 minutes of scheduled play.
Can a match be shorter?
It can, but only if two conditions are both met. The referee and the two teams must agree to it before kick-off, and the change must be allowed by the rules of the competition.
The half-time interval
Law 7 gives players the right to a half-time break, and that break may last no longer than 15 minutes. The competition rules have to set out how long the interval is. The interval can only be changed if the referee gives permission.
Who keeps the time?
Law 5 makes the referee the timekeeper. The referee also keeps a record of the match and sends a match report to the appropriate authorities.
Stoppage Time Explained
The Laws call it additional time, or the allowance for time lost. In each half, the referee makes up for playing time that was lost for particular reasons.
What counts as time lost
Law 7 lists the causes that the referee allows for:
- substitutions
- checking injured players and taking them off the field
- time-wasting
- disciplinary sanctions
- medical stoppages that the competition rules permit, such as drinks breaks, which should last no longer than one minute, and cooling breaks, which last from ninety seconds to three minutes
- delays caused by video assistant referee checks and reviews
- goal celebrations
- any other cause, including a significant delay to a restart
How additional time is shown
At the end of the last minute of each half, the fourth official shows the least amount of extra time the referee has decided to play. The referee can add more time than that figure, but cannot cut it.
A first-half error stays in the first half
Law 7 also says that if the referee makes a timekeeping error in the first half, it must not be made up by making the second half longer or shorter.
Penalty kicks at the end of a half
When a penalty kick is due, or must be retaken, Law 7 keeps the half going until that kick is over.
Extra Time and Penalty Shoot-Outs
Under Law 10, the team that scores more goals wins. If both teams score the same number of goals, the match is drawn. Law 10 then limits the ways a competition may find a winner after a draw, or after a tie played home and away, to the methods below.
The permitted methods
- the away goals rule
- two periods of extra time of equal length, with neither period longer than 15 minutes
- a penalty shoot-out
A combination of these methods may be used.
How extra time works
Extra time is split into two equal periods, and each one is capped at 15 minutes. Law 7 also permits a short drinks break, of no more than one minute, at the half-time interval of extra time.
The penalty shoot-out
Law 10 says the penalty shoot-out happens after the match has ended, so it does not form part of the match itself. The main points of the procedure are:
- The referee tosses a coin to choose the goal, then tosses again; the team that wins that toss chooses whether to take the first or second kick.
- The teams take their kicks in turn, and each team starts with five.
- Each kick must be taken by a different player, and every eligible player has to take one before anyone takes a second.
- If the scores are still level once both teams have taken five kicks, the kicks continue until, with both sides having taken an equal number, one team is a goal ahead.
- The referee keeps a record of every kick.
Only players who were on the field at the end of the match, or temporarily off it for reasons such as injury or fixing equipment, may take kicks. The exception is a substitute who replaces a goalkeeper unable to continue. If one team has more players than the other at the end of the match, it must cut its number to match the opponents.
Abandoned Matches
Law 7 also covers matches that cannot be finished. An abandoned match is played again unless the competition rules or organisers decide something else. In principle, if a team is left with fewer than seven players and this causes the abandonment, that team forfeits the match.
Putting It All Together
To work out how long a soccer game lasts, add up its parts:
- Regular time: two halves of 45 minutes.
- Half-time: a break of up to 15 minutes.
- Additional time: what the referee adds at the end of each half for time lost.
- Extra time: only when competition rules require a winner, in two periods of no more than 15 minutes each.
- Penalty shoot-out: only when competition rules call for one, taken after the match has ended.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many minutes are in a soccer game?
The two halves are 45 minutes each, so a match has 90 minutes of scheduled playing time. The referee then adds time at the end of each half to make up for time lost.
Can the referee reduce stoppage time once it is shown?
No. The figure the fourth official shows is the minimum the referee has decided on. Law 7 lets the referee increase that time but not reduce it.
Is a penalty shoot-out part of the match?
No. Law 10 says the shoot-out takes place after the match has ended. It is used only when competition rules require a winner.
