How Long Is a Soccer Game?
Soccer is a sport that involves kicking a ball around a field. It’s played on a large lot with a goal centered at each end.
A standard-length game of soccer lasts 90 minutes. It’s divided into two 45-minute halves with a 15-minute break in the middle.
Youth Soccer
Soccer games for youths are played to develop considerable motor skills and sportsmanship. They focus on improving dribbling, controlling the ball, and shooting accurately on goal.
The players’ age group and skill level influence the length of youth soccer games. Generally, games for younger children are shorter than those for older kids.
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In youth soccer leagues, players are assigned to one of four age groups: U6, U8, U10, and U12.
The American Youth Soccer Association (AYSO) recommends two 10-minute halves with a five-minute break between for under six players. The US Youth Soccer Association recommends four six-minute quarters if the game is tied.
In high school games, the rules vary between states and organizations, but most state-governed games have two 40-minute halves with a 10-minute break between them. Tied postseason games may need extra time or a shootout to determine the winner.
High School Soccer
A high school soccer game typically has two 40-minute halves and a 10-minute halftime. Games can go to overtime or a shootout if they are tied.
The length of a soccer game depends on the age group and the competition. For example, U19, U18, and U17 matches last 90 minutes, while U16, U15, and U12 youth leagues have two 40-minute halves.
This differs from professional and college soccer games, which are generally 90 minutes long with two 45-minute halves.
In addition, the duration of a high school game is determined by each state and must adhere to the rules of the National Federation of High School Associations.
Added time, also known as stoppage time, is added to the end of each half due to substitutes, injuries, disciplinary actions, and other factors that delay the game. The referees adhere to FIFA Law 7 when adding this time.
Professional Soccer
A professional soccer game is 90 minutes long, broken into two 45-minute halves with a halftime break. In addition, the referee may add extra time (also called stoppage time) at the end of each half to compensate for time lost due to substitutions, injuries, or other stoppages in play.
While some US sports use a clock to keep the game moving at a more realistic pace than a standard match, soccer has been played for centuries without a watch and instead uses stoppages in play to keep the game going.
For this reason, games of all levels of soccer can be lengthy. The youngest players usually do not play for 90 minutes, but most high school and college matches will last a few hours.
Stoppage Time
Unlike most American sports, soccer games do not have a running clock. Instead, the game clock is counted up and stopped only when the ball is out of play, or players are lining up for a penalty kick.
The referee, or sometimes the fourth official, keeps track of time that isn’t played in a match. He adds up injury time, substitutions, disciplinary matters, and other incidents that may occur in the game and tacks this time onto each half of the match.
Stoppage time is one of the most significant parts of a soccer match. It can be unclear, but understanding how it works can help you know what to expect in a game.