Original editorial illustration.
Soccer’s stoppage time explained: what it is, how referees calculate added minutes, why the board shows a minimum, and what savvy fans watch for.
The short answer
Stoppage time (also called added time) is the extra time a referee tacks onto the end of each half to compensate for significant playing time lost to delays. By Law 7 of the IFAB Laws of the Game, the fourth official displays the minimum time to be added; the referee may increase it if more delays happen before the whistle. This explainer uses the current IFAB Laws of the Game 2026/27, which apply worldwide in FIFA competitions and most domestic leagues. Competition rules can set things like drinks or cooling breaks, but stoppage time itself is governed by Law 7.
What the Laws say (2026/27 edition)
Referees add time for specific causes of lost playing time in each half. Law 7 lists, among others: substitutions; assessment and/or removal of injured players; time-wasting; disciplinary sanctions; medical stoppages (for example, short drinks or cooling breaks when competition rules permit them); delays related to VAR checks/reviews; goal celebrations; and any other significant delay to a restart. That list guides the calculation, but the number shown is the referee’s judgment based on what actually happened in that half.
Two further Law 7 notes matter for close finishes. First, the number displayed is a minimum: it can go up if there’s more delay after the board goes up. Second, if a penalty must be taken or retaken at the end of a half, that half is extended until the kick is completed.
Minimum shown, and why it often runs longer
Think of the board as a floor, not a ceiling. If the fourth official shows 4 minutes and a goalkeeper then needs treatment for 90 seconds, expect the referee to go past 90+4. That’s correct under Law 7, not a mistake.
Since 2022, FIFA has asked referees to calculate added time more accurately; counting celebrations, VAR, and other delays rather than relying on rough habits. That’s why you’ve sometimes seen longer added times at major tournaments and top leagues in recent seasons.
How the number is built (hypothetical examples)
Use a hypothetical second half rather than a fixed allowance per substitution: two injury assessments account for three minutes, a VAR review takes two minutes, and a prolonged celebration takes one minute. Those delays alone total six minutes before the referee considers other lost time.
If another minute is lost to treatment during that added period, six minutes on the board does not force the referee to blow at 96:00. Further delay can mean further allowance. These figures illustrate the principle, not a mandatory formula or an official instruction to add a set number of seconds for every event.
Stoppage time and extra time are different. Stoppage time is added to a half to compensate for delays. Extra time is an additional playing period used by some competitions to resolve a tied knockout match; extra-time periods can themselves include added time.
Misunderstandings to avoid
Common misconception: “The fourth official’s number is a promise.” It’s not; it’s the minimum. More delays after the display mean more time before the whistle.
Common misconception: “Stoppage time is only for the second half.” No; each half has its own allowance, and the same applies to each period of extra time in knockout matches.
Common misconception: “A penalty can’t be given after time is up.” If a penalty must be taken at the end of a half, that half is extended until the kick is completed.
Edge case to remember: the referee shouldn’t “fix” a first‑half timekeeping mistake by shortening or lengthening the second half; each half stands on its own.
What to watch during a match
Watch the clock and the context, not just the board.
- Count obvious delays: long injuries, multiple substitutions in quick succession, lengthy VAR reviews, drawn‑out celebrations. If they happen after the board goes up, expect more than the displayed minimum.
- On penalties at the end of a half, the period is extended to complete the kick; ordinary play need not restart afterward if the period has ended. That’s by design.
- Big tournaments have recently emphasized precise calculation of lost time, so late whistles can arrive deeper into added time than fans were used to a few years ago.