How Long Does Half Time Last In Football?

Each football match across the entire world is 90 minutes long, contested with two separate 45-minute halves, with added time for stoppages placed onto the end of each.

The time that splits the two halves of football apart is known as half-time. This time is a crucial aspect of every match for both supporters and players, allowing all to take a break from the action. Each and every half-time break is 15 minutes long, recognised as a rule in the UK by the Football Association (FA).

Here, Football Park will look at the structure of the game, and how long a football match is with this in mind.

How Long is Half Time in Football

As stated, every half-time break, in every match, including top leagues like the Premier League, is 15 minutes long.

After 45 minutes, with added time for stoppages, has been played in a match, the referee will blow his whistle to indicate the arrival of the half-time interval, upon which the players and coaching staff will typically all make their way back to the changing rooms.

Players and coaches can do what they please with their 15 minutes of rest, with substitute players commonly spending most of the break on the pitch warming up, but all necessary personnel, especially players, must be on the pitch and ready to resume the game once those 15 minutes are over, or else they may face disciplinary action.

Teams are allowed to return to the field before the 15 minutes are over, and fairly commonly do, but the game will not resume any earlier or later than 15 minutes after a break was initially summoned. Only the referee, under very rare circumstances, can call for half time to be any longer.

When is Half Time in Football

Half-time will be called for after the first 45 minutes of a match have been played out. Teams will begin their 15 minute break upon the referee's decision to end the first half.

The arrival of half-time can be delayed through added time, which is commonly added onto the end of each 45 minute half in any game of football.

What is the Purpose of Half Time in Football

Half-time gives players a chance to rest their legs before playing the rest of the match, and the manager a chance to speak closely with them.

Usually, all players and coaches will return to the dressing room, where the manager will start talking to them in regards to how the first half has gone, and what changes may be necessary in the second.

This isn't just a break for those playing, either. All match officials will return to their dressing rooms as well for a rest, and the half-time break also gives supporters in the stadium a chance to purchase refreshments or head outside briefly, without missing any of the match.

What is Added Time in Football

Added time, also known as stoppage time or injury time by many, is an extra allocation of time placed onto the end of each 45 minute half of football, in order to make up for any playing time lost through injury, substitutions, or any other factors.

Each half of football has to be contested through 90 minutes of actual playing. So, for instance, if a player goes down injured for three minutes, and the game is halted as a result, those three minutes will be added back on after 45 minutes have elapsed in the same half.

When did Half Time Get Introduced

It's tricky to say how long half-time has been an official ruling. The first set of FA rules, way back in 1863, did not feature any form of official half-time break, with any mid-match interval needing agreement from all the players in the match to take place unofficially.

Nowadays, however, it is a permanent fixture of games all around the world. FA Law 7 dictates the following: "Players are entitled to an interval at half-time, not exceeding 15 minutes; a short drinks break (which should not exceed one minute) is permitted at the interval of half-time in extra time. Competition rules must state the duration of the half-time interval and it may be altered only with the referee’s permission."

Could Half Time Get Extended

The short answer to this question, is yes. Governing bodies, particularly in North and South America, have expressed an interest in extending the half-time interval to 25 or even 30 minutes, as opposed to the current format of 15 minutes.

As football, or soccer, continues to take inspiration around the world from American sporting formats, and their general impact on the world of sport, there is an argument now for a longer half-time break, which would facilitate not only the obvious benefit of extra rest for players, but for the introduction of half-time performances, which is a common occurrence in American sports, such as the Super Bowl.

Brazilian teams, for example, would benefit from a longer half-time interval, as they typically undergo a very congested and tiring fixture list every season, playing a match every 3-5 days on average.

Law 7: The Duration of the Match

Laws of the Game 24/25

Law Changes 24/25