How Long is a Youth Soccer Game?
The length of a youth soccer game varies and depends on the player’s age and league. It can range from 20 to 90 minutes.
The specific time is typically based on the governing rules of the league or town you are involved with.
Here is a graphic that illustrates how long soccer games usually are for each age group.
And, as the players get older, the time in a single game gets longer but will not exceed 90 minutes for regulation time.
How Long is a Normal Youth Soccer Game?
Here is a list of typical game lengths by age group for soccer games.
- U-6: 20-minute (10-minute halves)
- U-8: 40-minute (20-minute halves)
- U-10: 50-minute (25 minutes halves)
- U-12: 60-minute (30-minute halves)
- U-14: 80-minute (40-minute halves)
- U-16: 90-minute (45-minute halves)
- U-19: 90-minute (45-minute halves)
How Long is Halftime?
Halftime for a youth soccer game can vary depending on the age group, referee, and competition, but it is typically around 5-10 minutes.
This is different from the traditional 90-minute game where halftime is about fifteen minutes.
How Long Are Warmups in Soccer?
Typically, the warmup can take anywhere from 15-30 minutes. This time frame may include a combination of exercises like jogging, stretching, and practicing specific skills and strategies.
The warm-up should be long enough to prepare the players’ bodies for the physical demands of the game, but not so long that they become fatigued before the match begins.
Coaches may adjust the length and intensity of the warm-up based on the weather conditions, the players’ fitness levels, and other factors.
For my son’s U-14 team, the coach wants him to arrive 40 minutes before game time.
They talk for the first 15 minutes and then start their warmups which consist of light stretching and movement, passing patterns, Rondos, and finally strategizing.
How Long is Overtime?
In a regular season match, there most likely won’t be overtime and the game would end in a draw.
Many soccer games end in ties, which will be reflected in the league standings. For each tie, a team is awarded one point.
Tournaments or playoffs may include a short overtime followed by penalty kicks (PKs) if the score is still tied. This is simply because a winner of the match must be determined for a team to move on.
Again, I want to reiterate these times are only for reference. Your league may follow different game lengths. But, it is important to understand official game lengths, especially at the younger levels where you’ll want to get kids playing time.
Final Thoughts
I hope that helps you understand how long a youth soccer game usually is.
Luckily, soccer does not have timeouts so you can guestimate how long you will be on the field for. If I need to know how long I’ll be on the field, I usually add an extra 30 minutes to the game length.
On most occasions, watching my son’s soccer games is the priority for the day so I don’t care how long it takes!
Frequently Asked Questions
Most soccer games in high school are 80 minutes but some may be 90 minutes.
Typically, games are split into two halves but some games may be divided into four quarters for the younger age groups.
Usually not. In most tournaments, the length of the game is shorter than the regular season.
Written By: Beau Bridges
Founder of SoccerNovo
I’m Beau 👋 a proud dad of an MLS NEXT player, former soccer coach, soccer enthusiast, and board member of our local youth sports program. I created soccernovo.com to share my knowledge of the game and help parents learn more about youth soccer in the U.S. I also authored an eBook ‘Soccer Coach Made Simple‘. Learn more about Beau.
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