Stoppage time is the time a referee adds at the end of each half for play lost to injuries, substitutions, reviews and other delays, and it counts in soccer betting. Markets settled on 90 minutes, such as the result, totals and correct score, include every goal scored in added time; extra time and penalty shootouts are left out.
The NSW Bookmaker Declared Betting Events Betting Rules define normal time as the scheduled period "including any additional time provided by match officials for stoppages", and settle soccer at the end of it unless agreed otherwise (clause 5.2.7.3). Injury time and added time are other names for the same thing.
What stoppage time is
Law 7 of the Laws of the Game (2026/27, published by The IFAB) sets two halves of 45 minutes and has the referee make an allowance, in each half, for the playing time lost through:
- substitutions
- assessment and removal of injured players
- time-wasting
- disciplinary sanctions
- drinks breaks and cooling breaks permitted by competition rules
- VAR checks and reviews
- goal celebrations
- any other cause, including a significant delay to a restart
At the end of the final minute of each half, the fourth official shows the minimum added time. The referee can increase it but not reduce it, and if a penalty has to be taken or retaken, the half runs on until the kick is completed.
Why stoppage time counts in 90-minute markets
Ninety minutes in a betting rule means the two halves as played, added time included, not the moment the clock shows 90:00. With illustrative events, here is what counts in a 90-minute market:
| What happens | Counts? |
|---|---|
| A goal at 45+2 | Yes, as a first-half goal |
| A goal at 90+6 after the board showed 4 added minutes | Yes: added time can be increased |
| A penalty awarded at 90+5 and scored after the time shown | Yes: the half runs until the kick is completed |
| A goal in extra time | No |
| A penalty shootout | No: Law 10 has it taken after the match has ended |
Example: Illustrative prices. You have $40 on under 2.5 goals at $1.85. It is 1-1 when the board shows 4 added minutes, and a goal at 90+6 makes it 2-1. Three goals means the under loses $40, while $40 on over 2.5 goals at $1.95 returns $40 x 1.95 = $78.
Online bookmakers write their own definition of a 90-minute market into their terms, so read yours. Soccer betting lists the markets that settle this way.
Stoppage time vs extra time
| Stoppage time | Extra time | |
|---|---|---|
| When it is played | At the end of every half of every match | After a drawn match, only where competition rules need a winner |
| How long | Set by the referee for time lost; the minimum shown can be increased | Two equal periods of no more than 15 minutes each (Law 10) |
| In 90-minute markets | Counts | Does not count |
A to qualify market asks a different question, which side goes through, and extra time and penalties decide that. Extra time and penalties sets out which markets follow the whole tie.
Markets where added time needs a second look
- Half-time markets. First-half stoppage time belongs to the first half, so $25 on a half-time draw at $2.10 (illustrative) loses if it is 0-0 at 45:00 and a goal goes in at 45+3. Half time/full time betting has nine outcomes that all turn on this.
- Minute bands. A market split into periods, such as the time of the first goal, has to say where an added-time goal falls: in the band that ends at 45 or 90 minutes, or in a band of its own. Find that clause before you bet.
- Totals. A late goal can decide an over/under goals bet, as in the example above, after the clock has passed 90:00.
The price you took and the score that settles it
The Terminal's sports board compares soccer head to head, line and total prices across bookmakers. The price you took fixes what a winning 90-minute bet pays; the score when the referee ends normal time, added time included, decides whether it wins. A free account opens a limited view of the Terminal with live odds.
Risk: Betting involves risk. A bet that looks won at 90:00 can still lose to a goal in added time, and there is no guarantee of profit. See responsible gambling for limits and support.