Sometimes, sitting down to watch an entire sporting event requires hours of your attention. It can be tough to block out enough time in your busy day to catch a game from start to finish.
Fortunately, soccer matches are easy to plan around because they are a consistent length, no matter what team, league, or competition you watch.
This is because soccer games, unlike basketball, baseball, and football, have a continuous game clock.
So how long are they exactly? And what's the difference between stoppage time and extra time?
Here, Sports Illustrated lays it all out for you.
How long are soccer games?
By the letter of the law, all soccer games are 90 minutes long and are separated into two 45-minute halves.
Due to stoppages for fouls, substitutions, or injuries, however, matches typically go on a little longer than this.
Though the clock in soccer never stops, to account for stoppages in play, referees add on an appropriate amount of "stoppage time" at the end of each half.
Stoppage time typically ranges from one to three minutes long, though in extreme circumstances, can be as long as 10 additional minutes, or even more.
Each half does not end until the referee deems that stoppage time has been played and they blow their whistle.
How long is halftime in soccer?
As stated by soccer's global law-making body, the International Football Association Board (IFAB), which is the sport's halftime in soccer is 15 minutes long.
Once the first half of a match is called to an end by the referee, the players, along with the officials, retreat for a break.
Players must be back out on the field and ready to resume play by the time the 15 minutes is up, or could face retrospective action in the form of a fine issued by the governing body in charge of overseeing the match.
How long is extra time in soccer games?
Extra time in soccer is different to stoppage time.
In certain games where there must be a winner, for example knockout games and cup finals, if teams are still drawing after regular time ends, extra time is added.
Extra time in soccer games is 30 minutes long, split into two 15-minute halves.
As is the case with regular time, stoppage time can be added on to the end of each half of extra time to account for breaks in play.
If the score is still level after extra time, then the clock stops altogether and both teams participate in a penalty shootout to decide the winner.
Why is a game 90 minutes long?
Soccer matches have been 90 minutes long for over 150 years.
Way back in 1866, a game was played between London and Sheffield. Though at the time there was no rules on the length of matches, the two teams both agreed that 90 minutes would be appropriate.
From there on in, 90 minutes became the standard for soccer matches everywhere, though it wasn't until 1897 that the duration was made official in the laws of the game.
How long is a high school soccer game?
In the United States, high school soccer matches are a little shorter than normal.
According to Save Our Schools, regular high school games are 80 minutes instead of the regular 90, split into two 40-minute halves.
Halftime, meanwhile, is 10 minutes long, as opposed to 15.
Championship games, however, which are usually played between the top-ranked teams in a league or region, may go on for 90 minutes, and may even have extra time.
Soccer matches for children younger than high school age can be even shorter.
In the United Kingdom, for example, games for children aged 11 and under are typically 60 minutes long, having two halves of 30-minutes separated by a five minute break.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as How Long are Soccer Games?.