Yellow cards, how long is halftime and other questions Canadians have about soccer

Thibaut Courtois of Belgium saves the penalty taken by Alphonso Davies of Canada during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Group F match between Belgium and Canada.Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

Canada made its long-awaited return to the men’s FIFA World Cup on Wednesday. For many fans, watching the country’s return to the competition comes with lots of questions. After all, it’s been 36 years since we were on the international stage. According to online search trends, this is what Canadians wanted to know about the World Cup so far, from the rules, to timing, to “why is an astronaut on the pitch?”

How many minutes are played in a soccer game?

In the group stage – what Canada is currently playing in – a soccer match is played for 90 minutes, plus some additional minutes to account for stoppage and injury time (around five or so).

After the group stage comes the knock-out stage, where games can run slightly longer. If the teams are tied at the end of regular time, they will play two extra 15-minute sessions with a five-minute break in between. If after these 120 minutes the two teams are still tied, they head to penalty kicks.

How long is halftime in soccer?

The half time is 15 minutes long.

In the knock-out stage, there’s also a five-minute break before and between the extra 15-minute sessions.

How long is a soccer game in the World Cup?

To recap, with playing time and breaks included, a group stage match lasts around 105 minutes. A knock-out match can last between 105 and 145 minutes.

What does a yellow card mean in soccer?

Two Canadian players, Alphonso Davies and Alistair Johnston, received yellow cards in the team’s first match against Belgium, leaving many viewers wondering how it might affect the team going forward.

When players receive one yellow card, nothing happens. But when they receive two of them, they’re automatically given a red card. This means they’re suspended for the remainder of the match, as well as the next one. Additionally, their team can’t replace them with another player.

Yellow cards carry over until the quarterfinals, when the records are cleared and players restart from scratch. For Canada, this means both Davies and Alistair are one yellow card away from a suspension for the foreseeable future.

What’s Chris Hadfield doing in Qatar?

Plenty of Canadians were trying to figure out why former astronaut Chris Hadfield was on the pitch on Wednesday, wearing a Canadian team jacket, belting out “O Canada” before kickoff.

As it turns out, team coach John Herdman invited Hadfield to speak to the players ahead of the game against second-ranked Belgium. The pair met in 2013 when Hadfield was speaking at an event and Herdman had long remembered his impact.

“[He] knows what it means to represent his country. He knows what it means to put his body on the line, to put it all on the line. And I told the lads I want people like that in this room. But I didn’t bring him here for that. I brought him here to share his pioneering story of being that man who did what he did. And it was brilliant. He’s just an amazing, amazing human being.”

“That was a special moment for all of us,” Canadian captain Atiba Hutchinson said. “I don’t think there’s any better person that could have been in that room.”

What’s the biggest goal differential in World Cup history?

After Costa Rica’s 0-7 defeat to Spain on Wednesday, people were wondering what the biggest win (or loss) in World Cup history was.

The record for the biggest goal differential in the men’s World Cup is nine, and it has happened three times. Hungary won 10-1 over El Salvador in 1982, and 9-0 to South Korea in 1954. In 1974, Yugoslavia won against Zaire 9-0.