How Long Is Halftime in Soccer? 15 Minutes (and the Rules)

Halftime is one of the most-asked rules questions in soccer — especially by viewers coming from US sports where breaks work differently.

Short answer: Halftime in professional soccer is 15 minutes, as set out in Law 7 of the IFAB Laws of the Game. The break can only be altered with the referee’s permission, and stoppage time added to the first half does not eat into it. In knockout matches that go to extra time, a much shorter break (no longer than one minute) is allowed between the two extra-time periods.

Halftime Length by Scenario

The 15-minute halftime length has been broadly stable across professional soccer for decades; the parts that have changed in recent years are around stoppage time and cooling breaks, not the halftime interval itself.

What Is The Purpose Of Halftime In Soccer?

A standard soccer match is 90 minutes long, with additional time tacked on depending on what stoppages and interruptions occur during those 90 minutes. Elite-level players are extremely fit and regularly capable of running over 10 kilometres during a match; however, even with this level of fitness and stamina, to play for 90 minutes without a break would be an extremely difficult task.

Half-time offers players a crucial break from play, allowing them to catch their breath, relax, take on fluids, and prepare themselves for the second period of play.

Without this break, teams would struggle to keep up to the required standard throughout an entire match, and implementing the coach's gameplan would also become more difficult.

Halftime was not strictly mentioned in the original Laws of the Game, which were first formalised in 1863 by the English Football Association, and its exact roots are a little tricky to pin down. However, it's thought by many that the original reason for halftime being introduced into association football was that in the early days of the sport, different English public schools played with different rules, and halftime allowed both teams to play half of the match using their own familiar set of rules, switching ends at the half time break. 

The standardisation of the rules in 1863 meant this wasn't strictly necessary anymore, but the concept of changing ends stuck around, largely because of the impact of potential variables in match conditions such as weather and the state of the pitch.

What Happens At Halftime?

Halftime is important for a number of reasons. First of all, it allows players to recover from the physical exertions of the first half, catching their breath, taking a crucial rest and drinking plenty of water to hydrate.

Players will also regularly consume energy drinks and gels at this point, ensuring they're refuelled for the second half. If any players need treatment for an injury or strain, the medical staff can attend to them at halftime too.

The break is also a crucial opportunity for the head coach and their assistants to offer tactical instructions to the players, make tweaks and changes to the formation and shape, and inform the players of any substitutions they intend to make.

It's a chance to recap on what was done well in the first half, and what needs to improve in the second half. Here, players, particularly the captain and other senior players, can often also speak up with their reflections on how things are going.

Plenty of things also happen off the pitch at halftime. In the stadium, fans have an opportunity to stretch their legs, buy a drink or some food, chat to their friends and typically take in some halftime entertainment on the pitch. For US sports fans, this entertainment will often be more elaborate, while in Europe it's more likely to be a short football-base challenge or fan competition of some kind.

Halftime also allows big corporations to advertise their products to TV viewers at home through lucrative commercial breaks. These spots are some of the most sought-after in television; during the 2022 World Cup, it was reported that a 30-second ad break during half-time in the group stage match between England and the USA cost a whopping $600,000.

When Is Halftime In Soccer?

The halftime break always occurs at the same time — on the 45-minute mark, exactly halfway through the 90-minute game. That being said, additional time is added at the end of both the first half and the second half, to account for any stoppages in play. For example, if there's a lengthy injury to a player, it's common to see several minutes added at the end of the half in which that injury occured. Similarly, if a team wastes time excessively when the ball is not in play (eg. on goal kicks or throw ins), you'll probably see a fair amount of stoppage time added at the end of the 45.

Since the beginning of the 2023/24 Premier League season, officials have begun calculating stoppage time with much more accuracy, introducing lengthy periods of additional time in order to clamp down on time wasting and increase the amount of time the ball spends in play. The initial effect has been some extremely long stoppage time periods, but as players and coaches become more and more used to this change, it's likely that these periods will reduce, much like they did at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

How Long Is Halftime In Soccer?

According to Law 7 in the IFAB's Laws of the Game, "players are entitled to an interval at half-time, not exceeding 15 minutes... Competition rules must state the duration of the half-time interval and it may be altered only with the referee’s permission."

Teams don't have to take this full break if they don't want to, and sometimes you'll see an XI come back out onto the pitch with a few minutes to spare, particularly if they're losing and the head coach wants a big reaction in the second half (sometimes managers even take extreme measures such as conducting the half-time team talk on the soccer field rather than in the changing room, most famously with Hull City's Phil Brown).

However, generally speaking, the full allotted 15-minute break will be taken.

Is Halftime Always The Same Length Of Time?

Halftime doesn't always have to be the exact same length of time. It ultimately depends on how long each team takes to recover and return to the field of play, and when the referee and officials judge that the match is ready to be resumed.

Typically, though, there's very little room for deviance here — a half-time break in association football (aka soccer) will pretty much always be around 15 minutes long, give or take a minute or so.

In fact, if the gap between the two periods of play is any longer than this, it starts to create potential problems, with the risk of players seizing up, getting cramp, or sustaining an injury increasing.

It's important to note that half-time will always be 15 minutes long, regardless of how much stoppage time is added at the end of the first half of the game. Additional time doesn't cut into the players' break, as this opportunity to recover and refuel is absolutely essential and shouldn't be reduced.

Halftime In Extra Time

As stated earlier, in league competitions all matches will be 90 minutes long; however, when it comes to the knockout rounds of competitions such as the World Cup, the Champions League and the FA Cup, the answer to the question "how long is a soccer game?" is complicated by the inclusion of extra time.

In soccer, extra time occurs during certain knockout competitions when two teams are level at the end of 90 minutes. In this event, an extra 30 minutes of play is added to try and determine a winner, with this 30-minute extra time split into two 15-minute periods.

In the middle of these two halves in extra time, players are allowed a further break, although it's not as substantial as the 15 minutes awarded between the first and second half.

According to the Laws of the Game, "a short drinks break (which should not exceed one minute) is permitted at the interval of half-time in extra time."

Given that by this point the match will have been going on for over two hours, this extra chance to have a break and take fluids on board is super important.

A Game of Two Halves

The 15-minute break is short, but historically pivotal. Some of the most famous comebacks in football — Liverpool’s 2005 Champions League final win over AC Milan in Istanbul (the “Miracle of Istanbul”), Barcelona’s 6-1 second-leg demolition of PSG in 2017, and Newcastle’s 4-4 draw with Arsenal in 2011 after being 4-0 down at the break — were all sparked by what was said in the dressing room during halftime.

Soccer Halftime FAQs

Is halftime always exactly 15 minutes?

Up to 15 minutes is the maximum under IFAB Law 7. Teams can return to the field earlier, and the referee can shorten or extend the break in exceptional circumstances — but at professional level, the full 15 minutes is taken almost without exception.

How long is halftime in extra time?

Between the two 15-minute periods of extra time, the Laws allow a short drinks break of no more than one minute. Players stay on or near the pitch — there is no return to the dressing room.

Is halftime the same length in youth soccer?

No — competition rules govern halftime length, and youth and amateur leagues often set shorter breaks (typically 5–15 minutes) to keep total match time down for younger age groups.

Further Reading

• How Much Does A Soccer Player Run In A Game?
• Soccer Substitution Rules: Everything You Need To Know
• What Is A Pitch In Soccer?
• What Does VAR Stand For In Soccer?
• What Is A Friendly In Soccer?
• The 10 Biggest Soccer Stadiums In The World

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