Later this week, the English FA’s new time rules, increasing the amount of time added to games in a bid to stop time wasting, will be put into action.

However, the decision has left many fans and players up in arms about the possibly of 100+ minute matches, with many suspecting the season-opening Arsenal v Manchester City Community Shield game will be the norm.

In light of this, by analysing previous game data from the 2022 World Cup and comparing it to the average Premier League season, AceOdds has calculated just how much extra time each team will be playing in the future.

How much extra time are we looking at?

According to stats from Opta, the average game time for matches in the 2022 World Cup was 106 minutes and 12 seconds. In the Premier League last year, those numbers were decidedly less, with matches for the 2022/23 season lasting 98 minutes and 7 seconds.

If the previous World Cup is anything to go by, this would mean an increase of 8 minutes and 5 seconds. So, to put this into perspective, for your 38 game Premier League season that works out as an additional 306 minutes per team - or just over three matches!

For the whole 380 game season, you’re looking at a whopping 3059 extra minutes, equivalent to an extra 34 games of football a season.

Why is this controversial?

The players certainly don’t seem happy about it, citing an increased likelihood of injuries in an already jam-packed schedule.

Manchester United defender Rafael Varane tweeted his disdain for the new rules, saying the “schedule is overcrowded, and it’s at a dangerous level for players physical and mental well-being.”

On the other hand, FIFA referee chief Perluigi Collini, who was responsible for the rule change during the 2022 World Cup, believes this goes a long way to paying back fans who have paid a lot of money for their tickets and feel short changed when time wasting isnt added back to the clock.