Stoppage time is the extra time added by the referee at the end of each half to make up for time lost during the game.
What does it mean?
Time can be lost to injuries, substitutions, VAR checks, or goal celebrations, and the referee adds this on at the end of the half. It can be used as a noun (‘scored in stoppage time‘) or as an adjective (‘a stoppage-time winner’). Other terms with the same meaning include ‘added time’ and ‘time added on’, while ‘injury time’ and ‘extra time’ are technically different things.
Examples
- The winning goal came deep into stoppage time.
- It was a dramatic stoppage-time winner.
- In the second minute of stoppage time, the home side scored the decisive goal.
Similar Words/Phrases
- Added time
- Time added on
- Injury time
- Extra time (different meaning – the additional 30 minutes after a drawn knockout match)
Learn More
- Listen to our podcast from Day 18 of the 2026 World Cup
- Translate it or use it in a sentence (on our forum)
- Listen to an explanation of this phrase on one of our podcasts from 2025
Related Glossary Terms
Categories: 2026 World Cup Phrases
« Back to Glossary Index 
