How Long is a FIFA 23 Match in Real Time?

A full 90 minute FIFA 23 match takes between 12-15 minutes in real time to complete. This is 6-8x faster than the duration of an actual professional soccer game thanks to the accelerated in-game clock.

FIFA 23 Game Clock vs Real Soccer Time

FIFA simulates the 90 minute length of a professional soccer match. But the game clock moves faster so you can finish a game in a fraction of the real time:

In contrast, professional soccer matches take about 110-115 actual minutes on average to complete after accounting for injuries, substitutions, celebrations and other stoppages.

So while a FIFA game condenses the 90 minutes of in-game action down to just 12-15 real time minutes, a real soccer match stretches past the 90 minute allotment.

Effective Playing Time

One analysis estimates the effective playing time in a World Cup soccer match is only about 55 minutes out of the 90+ minutes of elapsed time. This is due to:

• Injuries – 3-4 minutes per half
• Goals – 2 minutes per goal for celebrations
• Substitutions – 30-60 seconds each
• Free kicks/throw-ins – frequent short delays

So while you‘re experiencing a riveting 90 minutes of FIFA action, actual soccer players are only actively playing the ball for about ~60% of that!

Factors That Impact FIFA 23‘s Real Time Duration

While a default FIFA 23 match takes 12-15 minutes in real life, several settings allow you to shorten or extend the duration:

Faster Game Speed = Shorter Real Time

Increasing Game Speed from Normal to Fast or even Fastest, dynamically scales the game clock to save real time:

So you can finish a 90 minute FIFA match in as little as 10 real time minutes if you use the Fastest game speed!

Shortened Matches

Selecting shorter match lengths reduces the real world duration proportionally:

• 5 minute halves = 6-7 minutes total real time
• 10 minute halves = 9-11 minutes real time

Many popular game modes like FUT Champions use shorter 6 minute halves by default for faster competitive matches.

Celebrations, Replays and Paused Game

Any time the game is delayed or interrupted adds directly onto the real time duration:

• Replays – 30-45 seconds each
• Celebrations – 15-20 seconds per celebration
• Paused game – pauses real time countdown

Drawing out celebrations and pausing liberally can make matches up to 2-3 minutes longer in real time.

Real World Duration By Game Mode

The default match length varies across FIFA 23‘s modes, averaging:

So while a standard Kick Off match goes the full 90 minutes and takes a quarter hour, modes like FUT and Pro Clubs use shorter games around just 6-10 minutes for faster online play.

Evolution of Game Time Over FIFA Titles

Match duration has decreased over the history of FIFA titles as gaming hardware has improved:

Modern entries like FIFA 23 can render double the frame rate with more environmental detail than earlier generations could handle. This heightened immersion makes the accelerated clock feel more natural over 90 minutes.

So while FIFA matches have gotten almost twice as fast in actual gameplay duration, their depth and graphics fidelity make 15 real time minutes feel like a full soccer experience!

The Bottom Line

While an average soccer match runs past 110 real time minutes, FIFA 23 mimics the drama and emotion of 90 in-game minutes in a fast-paced 12-15 minute duration.

The game‘s ability to capture the tension and storylines of real soccer in a fraction of the time is what makes it so compelling year after year!