With the 2023 World Cup set to close in Australia and New Zealand, some new fans of the sport might find themselves asking questions when they hear announcers mention “stoppage time” and “extra time.” Mainly, how are they different?
Well, we are here to help. And no, they are not the same.
Soccer matches are comprised of two 45-minute halves with a running clock.
Stoppage time is the period added on to the end of each half that accounts for pauses in the match due to injuries, goals, substitutions, VAR reviews and other stoppages to regular game action. The referee is supposed to keep track of that time lost and add it to the end of the half.
Extra time is a totally different concept and synonymous to overtime in U.S. sports. Extra time is only used to break ties in the knockout stage as group stage matches are allowed to end in ties.
At the World Cup, extra time will consist of two 15-minute periods. If the score is still tied after extra time, it will go into a penalty shootout. There is no sudden death or “golden goal” at the World Cup, so if a match goes into extra time, we’re guaranteed those additional 30 minutes.
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