What is Stoppages Football? Stoppages Football Explained in 2 minutes
Jesse M. Cox Last Verified
26/06/2026
The term stoppages in football refers to the amount of times a referee will make a note to add on time at the end of a half because of events occurring during the match. The stoppages themselves can be for injuries, substitutions or anything that else that means that the game is not progressing.
How is Stoppages (Football) used in Sports Betting?
Stoppages are very important in football matches as they can affect how long a match will carry on after the official 90 minutes have finished. The stoppages therefore are converted into what is commonly known as ‘injury time’ at the end of each half of football.
As most betting on football is only applicable to the 90 minutes, stoppages become very important in indicating how much injury time will be played. The injury time counts as far as match betting, correct score, first, last and anytime goalscorer, half time/full time and under/over bets. But anything after the injury time – including extra time or penalties – does not count as far as a bet is concerned, unless otherwise stated.
For example, a substitution stoppage may add 30 seconds on to the end of a match and if a winning goal is scored during that added on time it would count as far as a bet is concerned. If the winning goal were not scored until the first period of extra time it would not be included in the bet.
Did You Know...
Most football matches will have enough stoppages to force the referee to add on three or four minutes at the end of a match. But due to a string of injuries – including the arrival of an ambulance onto the pitch – Brentford’s away match at Bristol City in 2001 included 23 minutes of injury time in the first half alone.
