What does FT mean in soccer?

FT is a common abbreviation used in soccer that stands for "full time". It refers to the end of the regular 90 minutes of play in a soccer match.

When is full time in a soccer game?

• A standard soccer match lasts for 90 minutes total, split into two 45 minute halves with a 15 minute half time break in between.
• The 90 minutes does not include any additional stoppage time added on by the referee for injuries, substitutions, time wasting etc.
• So "full time" refers to the end of the initial 90 minutes of regulation play before any added stoppage time is played.

Why do soccer games go past 90 minutes?

While soccer matches are supposed to be 90 minutes long, it is very common for games to exceed the 90 minute mark. This is because the referee adds on additional time at the end of each half to make up for any time lost due to:

• Injuries – If a player gets injured, the referee will stop play while they receive treatment, so this time gets added on.
• Substitutions – Time is added on for the substitutions to take place.
• Time wasting – If a team deliberately wastes time, the referee adds it on.
• Video reviews – If the referee uses VAR to review an incident, the review time gets added on.

The amount of stoppage time added on is at the discretion of the referee, but typically ranges from 1-5 minutes at the end of each half.

So while a soccer match is scheduled for 90 minutes, it‘s rare for a game to end right on 90 minutes. The FT score is the score at the end of the initial 90 minutes, before any added time is played.

What happens after 90 minutes if the score is tied?

If the score is tied at the end of the initial 90 minutes of regulation play, there are a few potential outcomes:

• Extra Time – Many competitions will have 30 minutes of extra time (two 15 minute periods) to try to break the tie. This is common in cup competitions like the World Cup. The FT score would be the score at the end of extra time.

• Penalty Shootout – If still tied after extra time, a penalty shootout will decide the winner. Each team takes 5 penalty kicks alternating shots. FT score is still the score after regulation before penalties.

• Draw – In many league competitions, a tied game after 90 minutes results in a final draw, with each team getting 1 point. No extra time is played.

So in summary, FT refers to the end of 90 minutes of regulation play. Additional stoppage time, extra time, and penalty shootouts may still follow after FT if needed to decide a winner.

When would you see FT used?

You typically see FT used in a few situations:

• In a soccer scoreline to indicate the score at full time e.g. "England 1 – 0 Germany FT"
• In live text commentary or tweets to indicate when the 90 minutes ended e.g. "That‘s full time here. England win 1-0. FT."
• In statistics to separate regular time stats from those including extra time e.g. "Shots: ENG 10(6) – 8(3) GER [FT]"

So FT helps quickly differentiate between the score/stats at the end of 90 minutes versus any that came in extra time.

Other examples of using FT in soccer

• "It was still 0-0 at FT, but England won in the penalty shootout."
• "Rooney had 2 shots on target at FT before being subbed off."
• "Germany had 60% possession at FT but England scored on the counter attack."
• "The referee blew for FT just as Suarez was through on goal!"

So in any context where you need to refer specifically to the end of the initial 90 minutes of play, FT is the common abbreviation.

What happens if a soccer game is tied after overtime?

If the score remains tied after regulation play and overtime (30 additional minutes divided into two 15-minute halves), the game moves into a penalty shootout. Here‘s how penalty kicks work to determine a winner:

• Each team selects 5 players to take alternating penalty kicks.
• The penalty kicks are taken one at a time by each team.
• If the score is still tied after the first 5 penalty kicks, sudden death penalty kicks continue until one team scores and the other doesn‘t.
• Whichever team scores more of their penalty kicks is declared the winner.
• If all 5 initial penalty takers from each team convert their kicks, the order of kickers starts over again in the sudden death portion.

Penalty kicks are a dramatic way to settle a tied soccer match. The highlight is the one-on-one battle between the penalty taker and the goalkeeper. It becomes a true test of nerves and skill.

While not the ideal way for players and fans to decide a game, penalty kicks provide a definitive result to a match that is tied through regulation and extra time. It‘s an exciting climax after 120+ minutes of intense soccer.

Why are soccer games 90 minutes long?

The 90 minute format for a soccer match has been the standard since the 1800s. But why was this length chosen over other options?

There are a few key reasons:

• Tradition – 90 minutes became the accepted length in the late 1800s in England, after experimenting with different match lengths. The tradition stuck.

• TV broadcasting – A 90 minute match fit neatly into 2 x 45 minute halves, perfect for TV broadcasts scheduled in 45-60 minute windows.

• Player fatigue – 90 minutes balanced game flow and intensity with minimizing excessive fatigue for players. Shorter may be too abrupt, longer could be too grueling.

• Spectator experience – 90 minutes enabled spectators to watch a full match from start to finish in one setting. Much longer would risk lost engagement.

• Travel logistics – Teams often traveled to games by rail in the early days. 90 minutes meant minimizing disruption.

The 90 minute format has stood the test of time. While pre-season friendlies and youth games often use shorter match lengths, 90 minutes remains the perfect balance for professional league and international standard.

Why are there 2 halves in soccer?

Soccer matches are divided into two 45 minute halves for several key reasons:

• Player rest – A halftime break gives players 15 minutes to rest, hydrate, and receive coaching instructions before the next 45 minutes.

• Strategic adjustments – Coaches can make tactical changes at halftime based on what they observed in the first half.

• Spectator break – Fans can take a quick bathroom or food/drink break at halftime without missing action.

• Building drama – The two act structure builds intrigue and drama into the flow of the match.

• Historical tradition – Early soccer matches experimented with various formats before settling on the two half structure by the late 1800s.

The overall 90 minutes length and split into two 45 minutes halves achieves an ideal balance for players, coaches, fans, and the dramatic arc of a soccer match. While you‘ll sometimes see shorter halves or quarters in youth leagues, the traditional 45 minute half has stood as part of soccer‘s fabric for over 100 years.

Average soccer game times by league

Here is the average total match time in minutes for some top professional soccer leagues:

League	Average Game Time
English Premier League	97 minutes
La Liga (Spain)	96 minutes
Bundesliga (Germany)	96 minutes
Serie A (Italy)	93 minutes
MLS (USA)	97 minutes
Champions League	98 minutes
World Cup	96 minutes

As you can see, top leagues average match times of 93-98 minutes due to injury time added on by the referee.

The English Premier League sees some of the longest average times, often stretching over 100 minutes, while Italy‘s Serie A has slightly shorter games on average.

But all show the 90 minute mark is just the baseline with added stoppage time the norm in the professional game nowadays.

Do soccer players play full 90 minutes?

It‘s relatively rare in today‘s game for soccer players to play the full 90 minutes of a match consistently. There are a few reasons for this:

• Squad rotation – Top clubs have big squads and rotate players to keep them fresh.

• Tactical changes – Managers make tactical substitutions to change the game.

• Fitness management – Players‘ minutes are carefully managed to avoid overuse injuries.

• Higher intensity – The intensity of the modern game makes playing 90 minutes every match difficult.

• Game situation – If a game is firmly in hand late, a player may be subbed off early to rest.

Elite players like Cristiano Ronaldo may still average around 80-85 minutes per game while starters play 65-75 minutes on average.

But it‘s relatively rare to see outfield players go the full 90 minutes week in and week out anymore, with managers using their full squad strategically.

Do soccer players really train every day?

It‘s common to hear claims that elite soccer players train every single day for many hours at a time. But in reality, their weekly training schedules are carefully managed to optimize performance.

A typical weekly training schedule for a professional might look like:

• 1-2 intense on-field training sessions – Technical drills, tactical practices, simulated match play. Often 90-120 minutes long.

• 1-2 gym / fitness sessions – Strength training, conditioning work, injury prevention exercises. 60-90 minutes.

• 1 recovery session – Low intensity pool exercise, stretching, massage therapy.

• 2 "prehab" sessions – Routines to activate muscles and joints pre-training. 15-30 minutes.

• 1 full rest day per week – No training to allow the body to recover.

So on average, 5-6 total training sessions per week with 1 full rest day is typical. Sessions vary in intensity with hard on-field days balanced by easier prehab and recovery work.

This schedule allows players to train consistently while minimizing overuse and overtraining injuries through intentional rest built into the weekly schedule.

Longest soccer match ever played

The longest professional soccer match ever played took place between French League Cup competitors Olympique Lyonnais and Montpellier in 2017.

The epic match length highlights were:

• 120 minutes of regulation play (0-0 after 90 minutes)
• 30 minutes extra time (1-1 after extra time)
• 32 penalty kicks taken in the shootout phase
• Lyon won the shootout 16-15 after 44 rounds of spot kicks

The total match time was around 210 minutes including all phases of play – over 2 hours of intense soccer!

Some other famously long soccer marathon matches include:

• 2005 Liberian Cup – Mighty Barolle 2-1 Invincible Eleven (3 hours 10 minutes)
• 2010 UEFA Champions League – Liverpool 4-4 Chelsea (around 185 minutes)
• 2018 World Cup – Spain 1-1 Russia (Spain lost in shootout after ~120 minutes)

While most matches end well within 2 hours, these ultra-long games highlight soccer‘s incredible physical and mental endurance requirements at the top level.

Why do soccer players fall so easily?

Soccer players sometimes dramatic reactions and falls after contact that may seem exaggerated or unfair to fans of other sports. There are a few reasons behind this behavior:

Drawing fouls – Going to ground easily often draws the referee‘s attention to award a foul. This is seen as clever gamesmanship by some.

Protecting against injury – Falling and rolling with contact may protect against non-contact injuries.

Embellishing for effect – "Selling" the foul convinces the referee of its severity to show or upgrade to a yellow/red card.

Buying free kicks – Drawing cheap free kicks in good positions maintains possession.

Gamesmanship – Trying to con the referee into giving their team an advantage.

Theatrics – Outright embellishment and feigning injury that discredits the sport in fans‘ eyes.

In essence, going to ground easily in soccer can be a combination of practical tactics and poor sportsmanship. While often divisive, dramatic reactions remain part of the modern game.

Average game time in the World Cup

In the 2018 FIFA World Cup, the average total match time was around 96 minutes across all 64 games played.

This broke down into:

• Average first half stoppage time: 2 minutes
• Average second half stoppage time: 6 minutes

So on average, referees added around 8 minutes of stoppage time in the 2018 World Cup.

The longest World Cup match was Switzerland vs. Costa Rica in 2006 which lasted for 120 minutes and ended in a penalty shootout.

The shortest was Croatia vs. Japan in 1998 which was cut short after only 63 minutes due to dense fog making it impossible to see the ball!

But on the whole, World Cup matches tend to run slightly longer than average domestic league matches with 96 minutes being the typical length in recent tournaments. The extended stoppage time keeps every minute of action significant right up until the final whistle.