How is stoppage time determined? 6 steps refs use to calculate minutes at end of World Cup soccer games

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Soccer halves are 45 minutes, making the game 90 minutes.

Except at the end of each half, that little plus sign comes up on the scoreboard with a number of minutes to be added on: stoppage time.

And, well, for those tuning into the World Cup for the first time, or even just more casual fans of the sport, it's confusing.

Where does it come from? How does it work? Why does it sometimes seem random? And why doesn't it end when it says it will?

We've got some answers.

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How is stoppage time determined at the World Cup?

Stoppage time is determined by the amount of time the ball isn't actually in the field of play. The officials keep track so at the end of each half, they know how many minutes need to be played to get to 45 minutes of actual action.

There are essentially five things to account for at the World Cup:

Substitutions
- They have introduced rules to prevent time wasting on subs, but they still count.
Injuries
- This is why stoppage time is sometimes called "injury time." A long injury can result in lots of stoppage time.
Goal celebrations
- The clock keeps ticking after a goal, even as players run around in celebration. That has to be accounted for.
VAR reviews
- If the ref has to wait to determine the accuracy of a call, that's accounted for.
Hydration breaks
- At the World Cup, these are supposed to be three minutes, so every half should have at least three minutes of stoppage time.
Other time wasting
- If the ref believes players are deliberately wasting time, they can be given a yellow card, but those seconds also have to be accounted for.

This can add up quickly and lead to halves that last longer than expected.

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Why doesn't stoppage time always end right on time?

The trickiest part of stoppage time: There can be stoppages in stoppage time.

If there's five minutes of added time, but a player gets hurt three seconds into that and the injury handling takes five minutes, then there are still five minutes more to be played. They won't put up a new number, but the refs will account for it.

It ends up feeling a bit more like art than science, because it's the on-field official who has the final power to blow his whistle and end the match.

For fans of pretty much any other sport, it's fair to be confused. But this is how world football keeps time.