How Long are Soccer Games? Pro, College & Youth Rules

The length of a soccer game varies by age group and level of experience. Some youth games are as short as 24 minutes long while a regulation professional game is 90 minutes. Unlike basketball and football, soccer games generally use a continuous clock. However, not all soccer games end in the amount of time allotted for them. Extra time is added for delays that aren’t related to plays on the field. Below is an explanation of game lengths for soccer matches.

History of Soccer Game Length & Timing

A 90-minute soccer match with two 45-minute halves, and a 15-minute intermission, seemed like an appropriate amount of time for a soccer match. In 1866, in a match between London and Sheffield, the first official 90-minute match took place because the “belief was that both sides would be suitably tired at the end of that time period,” according to analyisport.com. In 1897, the 90-minute match was established by the Football Association, the ruling body of soccer, as the standard length of a match.

Standard Length of Soccer Games

Professional & FIFA Matches

Generally, regular season games that end in a tie during regulation don’t go into sudden death overtime. Post-season games, however, require overtime. Overtime for youth soccer varies based on the age groups.

Length: The actual game times are 90 minutes with two 45-minute halves. The games actually last more than 90 minutes because of stoppage time.
Halftime: The International Football Association requires a 15-minute halftime break. Players must return from their locker rooms when the break ends, or they could be fined.
Stoppage Time: Soccer uses a running clock. However, time is added onto the end of each half to make up for lost time from injuries, penalties, celebrations, and substitutions. For instance, if the match was stalled because of an injury for 3 minutes, the referee will add minutes of stoppage time. Referees determine stoppage time using their best judgment. An official on the sideline tallies the stoppage time. Stoppage time usually ranges from 1 to 10 minutes, but it can be longer.
Extra Time: When a game requires a winner, the extra time is two 15-minute halves. Stoppage time can be added onto the halves. If the game is tied after extra time, teams participate in a penalty shootout.
Penalty Shootout: In a penalty shootout, each team has 5 shots to score a goal. To start a shootout, a referee flips a coin. The team that wins decides if it wants to kick first or second. The kicker sets up 12 yards from the goal, which is defended by the goalie. The team with the most goals after 5 attempts is the winner. If the teams tie, the shootout goes into sudden death. The first team that scores a goal with the other team missing wins the match.

College Soccer

Length: College games are 90 minutes long with two 45-minute halves.
Halftime: The National Collegiate Athletic Association stipulates a 15-minute halftime break.
Stoppage Time: Rules are the same as stoppage time for professionals.
Extra Time: Overtime is two 10-minute halves with a penalty kick shootout deciding the winner if the game is tied at the end of the 2 halves. Before 2022, the OT was sudden death. That meant the first team that scored in OT won. Now, the overtime periods must be completed in full. College used to require OT for all games. It only applies to post-season games now.

High School Soccer

Length: High school soccer games are typically 80 minutes long with two 40-minute halves.
Halftime: The halftime is 10 minutes long.
Stoppage Time: Stoppage time in high school games is the same as professional games.
Extra Time: If a high school game is tied at the end of regulation play, the game can go into overtime. The overtime is two 10-minute halves. If a game is tied after overtime, typically there’s a penalty shootout to determine the winner.

Youth Soccer

The lengths of games and overtimes for the ages listed below come from the United States Youth Soccer Association.

Under 6

Length: Four 6-minute quarters.
Halftime: Generally, 5 to 10 minutes.
Extra Time: None.

Under 8

Length: Four 12-minute quarters.
Halftime: Generally, 5 to 10 minutes.
Extra Time: None.

Under 10

Length: Two 25-minute halves.
Halftime: Generally, 5 to 10 minutes.
Extra Time: None.

Under 11 & 12

Length: Two 30-minute halves.
Halftime: Generally, 5 to 10 minutes.
Extra Time: Two 10-minute halves.

Under 13 & 14

Length: Two 35-minute halves.
Halftime: Generally, 5 to 10 minutes.
Extra Time: Two 10-minute halves.

In real time, a professional soccer game takes just under 2 hours. That includes 90 minutes of play with a 15-minute halftime and perhaps 10 minutes of stoppage time. A professional soccer game has between 58 and 68 minutes of action. That’s the amount of time the ball is in play. In comparison, American football has between 15 and 20 minutes of action in a 60-minute game. The game ends at the referee’s final whistle. In comparison, the average time of a National Football League game, which has four 15-minute quarters and a 12-minute halftime, takes 3 hours and 12 minutes. A major league baseball game averages 2 hours and 36 minutes. Occasionally, a soccer game gets abnormally long. The longest game ever was a game between 2 English teams, Stockport County and the Doncaster Rovers in 1946. It took 3 hours and 46 minutes. The extra time rules were different then. There wasn’t a penalty shootout. Teams played to win. The game ended initially in a tie because darkness set in. The teams settled it in a rematch, which Doncaster won 4-0. It’s unlikely a game could run that long today because of penalty shootouts.

Planning your time around watching a soccer game is easier than sports like football and baseball, where the time span can vary. Game times are more consistent, and the action is exciting for fans.