In England, the length of a youth football match, or soccer game as it's known in North America, rises with age. The FA allows up to 40 minutes at under 8 and under 9, 60 minutes at under 12 and under 13, and 90 minutes from under 17. These are maximums per game, and the league decides the rest.
Below you find England first, then the United States and Canada, each with its own table. The US and Canada use their own age labels and their own federations, so the numbers are not interchangeable.
Match length by age group in England: the table
The figures come from the FA Standard Code for 2026-27. The FA states the maximum minutes per game and per day. The only rule on the split is that halves must be equal. Under 8s to under 11s may play quarters instead.
| Age group (school year) | Maximum format | Maximum minutes per game | Maximum minutes per day |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 7 (Year 2) | 3v3 | 10 | 60 |
| Under 8 (Year 3) | 5v5 | 40 | 60 |
| Under 9 (Year 4) | 5v5 | 40 | 60 |
| Under 10 (Year 5) | 7v7 | 50 | 90 |
| Under 11 (Year 6) | 7v7 | 50 | 90 |
| Under 12 (Year 7) | 9v9 | 60 | 120 |
| Under 13 (Year 8) | 9v9 | 60 | 120 |
| Under 14 (Year 9) | 11v11 | 70 | 150 |
| Under 15 (Year 10) | 11v11 | 70 | 150 |
| Under 16 (Year 11) | 11v11 | 80 | 150 |
| Under 17 (Year 12) | 11v11 | 90 | 180 |
| Under 18 (Year 13) | 11v11 | 90 | 180 |
| Open Age | 11v11 | 90 | 180 |
The table is not split by sex. Girls and boys have the same maximums. Any English page that still says "under 13 plays 11v11" describes the 2025/26 season or earlier. From 2026-27 every format moves up one year, and 11v11 starts at under 14.
How long is an under-7 match?
Under 7s are the newest group in the table: the FA introduces 3v3 for them in 2026-27. The maximum is 10 minutes per game and 60 minutes per day.
England Football recommends single games of 6 to 10 minutes. After each game the players move on to another pitch in a simple carousel. That gives the recommended 30 to 40 minutes of playing time per child.
How long is an under-8 to under-11 match?
Under 8s and 9s play 5v5, with at most 40 minutes per game and 60 per day. Under 10s and 11s play 7v7, with at most 50 minutes per game and 90 per day.
For these ages the Standard Code allows quarters or halves. Each competition says in its own rules which one it uses. Your league may also set a shorter game than the maximum.
The Mini-Soccer Handbook of August 2025 (season 2025/26, now the previous season) still lists a different ladder with daily limits of 40 minutes for under 7s and 8s and 60 for under 9s and 10s. Do not use those numbers for 2026-27.
How long is an under-12 or under-13 match?
Both years play 9v9 with up to 60 minutes per game and 120 per day. The halves must be equal. For how teams line up in this format, see the guide to 9v9 formations at under 13.
Be careful with search results. An old, undated "Standard Code of Rules for Youth Competitions" still ranks on the FA website. It refers to the 2012-13 and 2014/15 seasons and gives numbers that no longer apply.
How long is an under-14 to under-16 match?
Full-size football starts at under 14 from 2026-27. Under 14s and 15s may play up to 70 minutes per game, under 16s up to 80. The daily limit is 150 minutes for all three.
Every figure is a maximum. The Standard Code lets the two clubs arrange a shorter game with the referee before kick-off. The halves must still be equal.
How long is an under-17 or under-18 match?
Under 17s and under 18s may play 90 minutes per game and 180 per day, the same as adults. Their national cup, the FA Youth Cup 2026-27, also plays 90 minutes with a 15-minute interval.
Game length in the United States
US soccer has several bodies. U.S. Soccer is the federation, and US Youth Soccer (USYS) is one of its member organisations with its own playing-rules policy. Other members such as AYSO or US Club Soccer are not covered here.
The table shows the USYS policy as of 23 June 2026. The totals are added up from its figures.
| Age group (USYS wording) | Game length | Total | Overtime |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 and under | 4 quarters of 6 minutes | 24 | none |
| 8 and under | 4 quarters of 12 minutes | 48 | none |
| 10 and under | Two 25-minute halves | 50 | none |
| 11 and under | Two 30-minute halves | 60 | Two 10-minute halves |
| 12 and under | Two 30-minute halves | 60 | Two 10-minute halves |
| 13 and under | Two 35-minute halves | 70 | Two 10-minute halves |
| 14 and under | Two 35-minute halves | 70 | Two 10-minute halves |
| 15 and under | Two 40-minute halves | 80 | Two 15-minute halves |
| 16 and under | Two 40-minute halves | 80 | Two 15-minute halves |
| 17 to 19 and under | Two 45-minute halves | 90 | Two 15-minute halves |
The USYS table has no rows for 7 and 9 and under. For 10, 8 and 6 and under, the policy also refers to its "Modified Playing Rules", and the current text of those was not available for this article.
U.S. Soccer’s Player Development Initiatives (February 2017, the latest edition found) cover only ages 6 to 12: 4x10 at U6 to U8 (4v4, quarters of at most 10 minutes), 2x25 at U9 and U10 (7v7), and 2x30 at U11 and U12 (9v9). They state no length for U13 and older. At 8 and under the two sources disagree. USYS is the newer one and allows quarters of 12 minutes, two more than the 2017 guidance.
State Associations may set different rules, so ask your state association or league.
Game length in Canada
Canada Soccer writes "match" and sets national maximums for grassroots soccer. The Grassroots Standards are mandatory for all member organisations from the 2026 playing season. They also cap the time each player may play per day.
| Age group | Format | Maximum match | Maximum per player per day |
|---|---|---|---|
| U6-U7 | 3v3 | 30 minutes (2x15 or 4x7.5) | 60 minutes |
| U8-U9 | 4v4 or 5v5 | 40 minutes (2x20 or 4x10) | 80 minutes |
| U10-U11 | 7v7 | 50 minutes (2x25 or 4x12.5) | 100 minutes |
| U12 | 9v9 | 70 minutes (2x35 or 4x17.5) | 120 minutes |
| U13 | 9v9 | 80 minutes (2x40 or 4x20) | 120 minutes |
For ages above U13 there is no general national figure outside two programmes. In the Player Development Program (licensed youth leagues, manual of August 2024), U13 and U14 play three periods of 25 minutes, four of 20, or two halves of 35. U15 and U16 play two halves of 40, and U17 and above two halves of 45. In the 2026 National Championships, the U-15 Cup plays 2x35 and the U-17 Cup 2x40.
These numbers do not line up, and they should not be merged. The grassroots U13 figure is a ceiling of 80 minutes, while the Player Development Program plays U13 at 70 to 80. A Canada Soccer news item mentions "90 minutes" for the national cups; the newer regulations give 70 and 80 minutes, so follow those. Provincial and territorial associations decide the rest.
The youngest: who sets the duration?
In England the FA Standard Code is mandatory for all mini soccer and youth competitions. It sets the maximum. Inside it, each league determines its own playing time and chooses quarters or halves. That statement comes from the 2025/26 handbook, and no 2026-27 edition was found.
In Canada the national maximum is fixed, and organisers may split a match as they need. At U6 to U9 the standards allow festival format only, with no placement or elimination games. Exceeding a standard needs a dispensation from the provincial or territorial association.
In the US, three layers apply: U.S. Soccer, USYS and the State Associations, which can deviate from USYS rules. For 4v4, U.S. Soccer says coaches and parents may play shorter quarters.
How the small formats are built is explained in the overview of youth football game formats for 2026.
Extra time, penalties and the interval
England. The 2026-27 Standard Code contains no extra-time rule. The FA Youth Cup (under 18) uses extra time only in the Competition Proper: two halves of 15 minutes. Cup rules at county level differ. In 2025-26, the Cumberland FA under 13 mixed cup played 10 minutes each way in the semi-finals and final, and the Sussex County FA went straight to kicks from the penalty mark. Both are one county each, from the previous season.
For the interval, the Standard Code says the competition sets it and it may not exceed 15 minutes. The 2025/26 handbook limited mini soccer to five minutes, and no 2026-27 confirmation was found.
United States. USYS allows overtime from 11 and under, as in the table. Ties stand for 10 and under. In tournaments, kicks from the penalty mark follow overtime. The USYS National Championships 2025-2026 play no extra time at all. USYS rules state no halftime length. U.S. Soccer’s 2017 guidance gives 5 minutes between quarters at 4v4 and a 10-minute halftime at 7v7 and 9v9.
Canada. Grassroots standards state no half-time or extra-time rule. The Player Development Program gives 10 minutes at halftime for two halves, and the U-15 and U-17 Cups use 10 minutes and no extra time.
Playing time per player is a different question
A 7v7 game at under 10 may last up to 50 minutes in England. That is 350 player-minutes to share (7 players for 50 minutes). With 10 children in the squad, an equal split gives each one 35 minutes. How coaches handle that fairly is covered in the article on fair playing time in youth football.
Tournaments and friendlies
In England, two clubs may agree a shorter game before kick-off, with the referee, and the halves must stay equal. At round-robin and trophy events the maximum per half cannot be exceeded, but the minimum may be adjusted. The daily cap applies throughout. The Standard Code governs competition matches. No FA rule on the length of friendlies was found.
In Canada, a tournament has to respect the daily limit per player (60 to 120 minutes) and a minimum rest of one match length between matches from U8. U11 and younger play festival-style with no elimination games. Tournaments per season are capped at 2 for U8 to U11 and 3 for U12 and U13. In the US, no source read here says who may shorten a tournament game, so ask the organiser or your state association. Friendlies are not covered by Canada Soccer or USYS texts found either.
The daily limit shapes the schedule. In England an under-10 team can play at most 90 minutes in a day. Five games of 15 minutes make 75 minutes, which fits. With AreaCopa you set game length and breaks once and get the schedule for all pitches.
Create my tournament schedule with my own game lengthFree and no sign-upSources
- The Football Association (season 2026-27). Standard Code of Rules for Mini Soccer and Youth Football Competitions (FA Handbook section 30). Source for the English maximums per game and per day, equal halves, the half-time ceiling and shortened games.
- The Football Association (version of August 2025, season 2025/26). The Mini-Soccer and Youth Futsal Handbook. Previous-season source for the old daily limits, the five-minute half-time and the league's own playing time.
- The Football Association (season 2026-27). Rules of the FA Youth Challenge Cup Competition. Source for 90 minutes, the interval and extra time in the FA Youth Cup.
- England Football. A closer look at 3v3 and FutureFit: updates to grassroots youth football in England (21 February 2025). Source for under 7 games of 6 to 10 minutes and the one-year shift of the formats.
- Cumberland FA (season 2025-26). U13 Mixed County Cup Competition Rules. Sussex County FA (season 2025-26). Competition Rules. Sources for the two county examples of extra time.
- US Youth Soccer (as of 23 June 2026). Policy on Players and Playing Rules, Rule 303. Source for the US game lengths and overtime.
- US Youth Soccer (season 2025-2026, file of 6 March 2026). National Championships and Presidents Cup Competition Rules. Source for the 13U to 19U match durations and for no extra time.
- U.S. Soccer (February 2017). Player Development Initiatives. Source for the small-sided game times and breaks at U6 to U12.
- Canada Soccer (2026). Canada Soccer Grassroots Standards. Source for the maximum match times, daily limits, festival format and tournament caps.
- Canada Soccer (version 2.0, August 2024). Player Development Program (PDP) Manual. Source for match durations and intermissions from U13.
- Canada Soccer (2026 season). Canada Soccer's 2026 National Championships (regulations) and the news item of 25 February 2026. Source for the U-15 and U-17 Cup durations.
