In the wake of FIFA’s experimental changes to injury time during the latest World Cup, numerous major football leagues have adopted a similar approach. This trend, characterized by referees allocating more injury time to combat time-wasting, has resulted in extended game durations across various leagues.
According to data provided by SafeBettingSites.com, the Primeira Liga in Portugal and La Liga in Spain currently account for the longest average game durations among the top European leagues, clocking in at 104:20 minutes and 103:03 minutes, respectively.
All top European leagues averaging 100+ minute games
The phenomenon of elongated injury times is not just limited to one or two leagues. As per the data on Wyscout, all major European leagues are averaging 100+ minute games during the new season.
For our analysis, we looked at the injury time data from the major seven leagues: Premier League, La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga, Ligue 1, Primeira Liga, and Eredivisie.
As per the data available until September games, Primeira Liga of Portugal tops the list, with matches lasting 104:20 minutes on average. The Portuguese league is closely followed by La Liga of Spain, with matches in the top tier of Spain lasting for 103:03 minutes on average.
The Premier League has arguably caught the most attention for injury times this season. Unsurprisingly, the top tier of English football is not far behind, with an average game time of 101:46 minutes. Serie A is next on the charts, with an average game length of 101:04 minutes.
Ligue 1 and Bundesliga are next, with average game times of 100:28 and 100:21 minutes, respectively. Surprisingly, the Eredivisie of the Netherlands isn’t following the trends of other major European leagues. Games in the Dutch league have averaged just 98:35 minutes this season.
94.4% of games in the Portuguese league ended with more than 100 minutes
When we look at the comparison of the percentage of games that have ended at more than 100 minutes, Primeira Liga comes first at 94.4%. La Liga is next with 84.6% of games, followed by Premier League at 71.8%
In Serie A, 70% of games saw more than ten minutes of total injury time. Bundesliga (61.5%) and Ligue 1 (61.1%) garnered very similar numbers in the comparison.
In Eredivisie, only 28.1% of games ended with more than 100 minutes of game time.
