How Long Are Premier League Matches Including Stoppage Time?

**TL;DR: **A Premier League match is two halves of 45 minutes plus stoppage time at the end of each. With the stricter added-time rules introduced in recent seasons, total match length on the clock is often 100 to 105 minutes, with some matches stretching past 110. Real elapsed time including the half-time break is closer to two hours.

If you've watched Premier League football for any length of time, you'll have noticed matches running longer than they used to. Twenty years ago, a 90th-minute whistle was almost guaranteed within a minute or two. Now you can plan around full-time being closer to 105 minutes on the clock. Here's why.

The official rules

Officially, a football match is two 45-minute halves with a half-time break of up to 15 minutes. The referee adds time at the end of each half to account for stoppages. There's no upper limit on how much can be added. The fourth official displays a minimum, and the referee can play more if the time keeps getting eaten up by goal celebrations, VAR checks, or injuries.

So the official answer is: 90 minutes plus stoppage time. The real answer is much longer.

How long stoppage time actually is

Across recent Premier League seasons, average added time per half has crept up significantly. The trend started when the laws encouraged officials to count time lost to goal celebrations and VAR more honestly. The result is that 4-5 minutes of stoppage time has become normal in each half, and 7-10 minutes isn't unusual.

• First half added time: typically 1-4 minutes
• Second half added time: typically 4-8 minutes, more in dramatic matches
• Total clock time: regularly 96-105 minutes
• Total real-time including half-time: usually around 1 hour 50 minutes to 2 hours

We covered the implications of this for late drama in our piece on the latest goal ever scored in a Premier League match, which is a good companion read.

What eats the clock

There are predictable culprits. Goals lead to celebrations of 30-60 seconds. VAR reviews can take anywhere from 30 seconds to several minutes. Substitutions used to be a quick wave, but now they involve hugs, tactical chats, and a slow walk off the pitch. Injuries that used to be waved away now get full physio attention. All of that adds up.