Why there has been 64 minutes of added time in the first four World Cup games

It's been explained why there has been a record-breaking amount of added time in the World Cup.

At the time of writing, there have been four games in the 2022 showpiece in Qatar and in just two days of action, 64 minutes of stoppage time has been awarded.

Every game has gone over 100 minutes, with there being an incredible 24 minutes of added time in England's 6-2 thrashing of Iran in Doha.

14 minutes were awarded at the end of the first half but that was in part to a brutal injury suffered by Iran goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand.

However, the second half also saw ten minutes added on and the opener lasted 117 minutes and 16 seconds.

It allowed Iran's Mehdi Taremi to score the latest goal in World Cup history excluding extra time as he dispatched a consolation penalty with 102:30 on the clock.

The 1-1 draw between the United States and Wales had 10 minutes and 34 seconds added on in the second half, leading to the match lasting 104 minutes and 34 seconds.

Injures, substitutions and goal celebrations have been a factor but France Info say officials are now following official FIFA guidelines on added time.

The idea is to clamp down on time-wasting and allow the ball to be in play for a longer period of time.

Pierluigi Collina, legendary referee and now head of FIFA's referees commitee, discussed the new approach last week.

"In Russia, we tried to be more accurate in compensating for time lost during games and that's why you saw six, seven or even eight minutes added on," the Italian told ESPN.

"Think about it: if you have three goals in a half, you'll probably lose four or five minutes in total to celebrations and the restart.

“What we want to do is accurately calculate the added time at the end of each half. It can be the fourth official to do that, we were successful in Russia and we expect the same in Qatar."

Former England defender Jamie Carragher is well onboard the new method and believes it's a positive change.

He tweeted: "Enjoying the amount of time that is being added on by the officials at #QatarWorldCup2022 there is too much time wasting in football!"

Featured Image Credit: Alamy

Topics: Football World Cup, Qatar, England, Wales, Netherlands, Senegal

Josh Lawless

Josh is a sports journalist who specialises in football and wrestling. He has been published by Curzon Ashton FC, Late Tackle, Manchester City FC, The Mirror, Read Man City and Manchester Evening News. He provides coverage of professional wrestling and has interviewed some of the biggest names in the field - including the first UK interview with The Hardy Boyz after their return to WWE. He has never sported a pair of Lonsdale Slip-ons, contrary to reports.

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