The 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar presents some major changes for the rule book. More players allowed in the final rosters (26) and five substitutions per game are the most important ones. Still, a big question among thousands of fans is if the duration of the games has suffered any modification.
In some World Cups , we’ve had rules which drastically transformed the structure of the game. For example, the Golden Goal ended a match immediately if any team scored in extra time. In that way, France eliminated Paraguay in 1998 and in 2002 there were more cases: Senegal against Sweden, South Korea vs Italy and Turkey to dispatch Senegal. There was also the Silver Goal , in which the game continued in extra time, but ended after the period of the score. In that scenario, if you scored a goal in the first-period of extra time, the game ended after those first 15 minutes. No second period was played.
In Qatar 2022, those ‘weird’ rules of the past will not apply at all. In this article, you’ll learn how long will be the games at the next World Cup not only during the groupstage, but also in the elimination rounds.
Qatar 2022: How long is a FIFA World Cup group stage match?
In Qatar 2022, the 32 participating teams have been divided into eight groups with four national teams in each of them. During that group stage, each squad will play three games. Those matcheswill have a duration of 90 minutes. If the gamefinishes in a draw, there is no extra time. Three points are awarded to the winning team and one point is awarded to each team after a tie. The two-best teams in the group advance to the Round of 16.
Qatar 2022: How long is a FIFA World Cup knockout stage match?
First of all, the knockout stages in the World Cup are the Round of 16, the quarterfinals, the semifinals and the final. In this famous elimination-games, if a match ends witha draw at the end of regulation (90 minutes), then it goes to extra time.
In Qatar 2022, the extra time consists of two 15-minute periods. According to FIFA rules, the interval between the end of regulation and the start of extra time cannot exceed five minutes. Nevertheless, in reality we’ve seen that this break is way longer and sometimes goes up to ten minutes or more. Between the two extra time periods, FIFA has established a one minute break for drinks. Again, that will almost be impossible to fulfill, but, at least that’s the ‘official rule’. In a very important detail, no player can leave the field during both breaks.
If the score is still tied at the end of both periods of extra time, the winner will be decidided through a penalty shootout. Each team has five kicks from the mark, but, if one of them has a definitive difference before that, the game ends. If there’s a tie after five shots, then we go to sudden death until we have a winner.
Qatar 2022: How long is the FIFA World Cup final?
The 2022 FIFA World Cup Final will be played on Sunday, December 18 at Lusail Stadium. The procedure is exactly the same as in the knockout stages. Two 45-minute periods in regulation. If the game ends in a tie, two 15-minute periods in extra time. If the teams are still leveled, a penalty shootout will determine which team is the World Champion.
