A football match lasts 90 minutes, but the ball is not always in motion for the entire duration of the match. Between fouls, substitutions, injuries and moments dedicated to restarting the game, a significant part of regulation time passes without the teams actually being able to play. In the Serie A 2026/27However, this balance seems to have changed. According to data released by the Lega Serie A and illustrated by the AIA, after the first five matchdays the average effective timei.e. the period in which the ball is actually playable, has risen to 59 minutes And 24 secondsagainst i 53 minutes And 39 seconds recorded in the same period of the previous season.
It means almost six more minutes of real play per gamean increase that brings the Italian championship close to the threshold of 60 actual minutes and which illustrates a broader change: there are fewer interruptions, greater continuity and football with a higher pace. But what enabled this increase? The answer does not only concern the regulation: the new indications of theIFABthe international body that establishes the rules of the game of football, applied in Italy throughAIA (Italian Referees Association), together with the new technical line adopted by the referees.
The innovations involve various situations in the match, from the management of players who receive medical treatment on the pitch to the times of substitutionspassing through greater speed in game shooting as throw-ins And Goalkeeper clearances. The first data of the season also shows a decrease in fail booed at the game, gods tagsof the penalties granted and the interventions of VAR, leading to a significant reduction in wasted time on the field.
In Serie A, almost 6 more actual minutes are played compared to 2025/26: how is this possible?
The increase in effective time represents one of the most significant innovations of this start of the championship. In the first five days of the Serie A 2026/27the ball remained in play on average 5 minutes and 45 seconds more per game compared to the same period of the previous season, with an increase of approximately 11%. To understand the extent of the change, just consider that the current almost 60 actual minutes are equivalent to around two-thirds of the regular 90 minutes, without counting added time.
A particularly significant example comes from Atalanta-Bolognaa match on the second day in which, again according to the Math & Sport data published by the Lega Serie A, they even reached each other 70 minutes of actual gameplaythe highest value recorded in the first five days. Furthermore, already after the first four rounds, the data illustrated byAIA had shown an increase greater than 5 minutes and 30 seconds compared to the previous two seasons.
Various factors contribute to explaining this greater continuity, from the new provisions of theIFAB against wasting time on the technical line adopted by the referees, aimed at favoring the game and avoiding interruptions due to less significant contacts. The set objective is to increase the time the ball is actually in play.
The new IFAB rules: how do you combat wasting time?
Also promoting greater continuity of the game are the new provisions introduced by theIFAB (International Football Association Board), the international body that establishes the rules of football, and implemented in Italy byAIA (Italian Referees Association). The changes, effective from July 1, 2026therefore do not only concern Serie A, but have been designed to counteract wasting time in football in general.
One of the main innovations concerns the substitutions. According to the Circular no. 1 of the AIA for the 2026/27 season, the replaced player must leave the pitch by 10 seconds from displaying the board, unless prevented due to accidents or safety reasons. If he does not respect this limit, the incoming player he cannot enter immediately and the team is forced to restart the game with one man less, at least until the first interruption following a minute after the restart.
The provisions on injuries. A player who receives medical attention on the field or whose injury causes the game to be stopped must generally exit and wait one minute after the restart of the game before being able to return. There are exceptions, for example for goalkeepers, serious injuries and those caused by fouls punished with a warning or expulsion.
Finally, to avoid delays in throw-ins and in returns from the bottomthe referee can initiate a 5 second countdown when he believes that a team is deliberately wasting time. If the ball is not put back into play within the limit, the throw-in passes to the opponents, while the goal kick is transformed into a corner kick for the opposing team.
Fewer fouls and penalties, more goals and no 0-0: the numbers for Serie A 2026/27
In addition to the new IFAB provisions, the refereeing line adopted in Serie A also favors the continuity of matches, aimed at allowing actions to continue without blowing the whistle for less significant contacts. As explained by Daniele Orsatoresponsible for the National Referees Commission, the objective is «encourage the game of football and not whistle the slightest contact».
According to official data from the AIA, in the first five days the average of fouls called she came down from 26.23 to 22.60 per game, a reduction of 13.84% compared to 2025/26, reaching a value even lower than 11.28pm from the Premier League. The. have also decreased penalty kicks awardedas soon as 2against i 9 of the previous season, i 14 of 2024/25 ei 16 of 2023/24. The warnings they went from an average of 3.53 to 3.03 per gamecompared to over 4 in the two previous championships, while the expulsions they got off at 2against the 5 of 2025/26 and the 6 recorded in each of the two previous seasons.
Even the interventions of VAR are less frequent. In the first four days only one was registered On Field Reviewi.e. one review by the referee on the monitor, compared to 6 in 2025/26 and 8 in each of the previous two seasons. The Overrulei.e. the corrections made through the VAR without reviewing the monitor, instead dropped to 2compared to 5 of the last championship and the 6 of the two previous years.
The change also affects offensive production. In the first five days the average of goals scored she rose from 2.32 to 2.9 per gamesurpassing that of Premier League (2.8) and of Ligue 1 (2.7)and approaching the Spanish League (3.0). The. have also increased average shots per gamefrom 25 to 29and expected goals (xG), the indicator that measures the probability of scoring based on the characteristics of the opportunities created, passed from 2.61 to 3.17.
Another significant data concerns the results: in the first five days not even a 0-0 was recorded. To find a similar precedent you have to go back to the season 1949/50when the first goalless draw only came on the seventh day, in Milan-Lazio.
