Set up before the match. Your tactics and lineup must be in place before the match starts. Prep closes 30 minutes before kickoff (see Match Preparation).

Simulated in advance, hidden until kickoff. The engine simulates the match in the 30 minute window between prep close and kickoff so the result is ready on time. Nothing becomes public until kickoff: no score, no standings movement, no inbox notification, no push, no achievement unlock. Until then the fixture still reads as upcoming everywhere.

Everything lands at kickoff. The instant kickoff hits, the score, standings, awards, notifications and replay all arrive at once.

Watch the replay. Visit the match page to watch the replay, where commentary unfolds minute by minute. Goals pause the action and show a dramatic popup. Tap anywhere to continue.

Players tire gradually. How quickly they tire depends on their age. Players in their peak years (25-29) have the best conditioning and tire the slowest. See the age table in Your Squad for the full breakdown.

Gegenpress burns out faster. The Gegenpress philosophy accelerates fatigue. After the 70th minute, players in a Gegenpress side tire significantly faster.

Tired players contribute less. Fatigue reduces a player's contribution to their zone (defence, midfield, or attack). A tired team creates fewer chances and defends worse.

Energy is shown after the match. Each player's energy level is shown alongside their performance rating so you can see how tired they were by full time.

Plan up to 5 subs. You can plan up to 5 substitutions per match from the Tactics page.

Subs come on fresh. Substitutes arrive with zero fatigue, which immediately boosts your team's pitch control.

Mind the rating. Be careful about subbing a weaker player on early. Their lower rating drags down the zone even though they're fresh.

Chasing teams push harder. A side trailing by one or two goals after the 70th minute commits more players forward in search of a way back — more late chances, more comebacks, more nail-biting finishes. Three or more down, heads drop instead. If you are protecting a narrow lead, expect a siege.

Added time after each half. A short period of added time plays after each half. The clock ticks past 45 as "45+1'", "45+2'", and so on, and the same at the end of the match.

Drama stretches the clock. Stoppage stretches when there is more for the referee to track: lots of fouls, red cards, late goals (where the celebration eats the clock), heavy substitutions, and a team that leans into the dark arts all push the clock up.

Broadcast-style values. Second-half stoppage settles into one of four broadcast-style values: a seamless half, a standard low-drama half, the modern baseline with average celebrations and a normal sub rotation, and the longest value only when multiple triggers stack such as multiple goals, red cards, and dark-arts theatrics. First-half stoppage is kept shorter.

Decided games wind down. When the result is done and dusted (a three or more goal margin at full time), late goals stop counting toward stoppage. With the match already decided, the referee waves play on instead of stretching the clock.

Same rules everywhere. Every match type uses the same stoppage logic: league, cup, and friendlies. Cup ties still go straight to penalties if they are level after stoppage. No extra time.

Corners create headers. When a shot is saved or goes off target, it can result in a corner kick. Corners create an immediate headed chance in the box.

Strategy shapes your chances. Your offensive strategy determines how often your team creates headers, big chances, and long shots. Wing Plays produces the most headers, while Varied gives a balanced mix.

Each match has a referee. A randomly assigned referee influences how the game plays out. See the Referees section for full details.

Friendlies are low-stakes. Challenge other clubs to friendly matches outside of league fixtures. Friendlies can cause injuries, but they don't affect player form, growth, league standings, or career stats. Minutes, goals, and assists don't count toward season or career totals, and red cards don't result in suspensions. See the Challenges & Friendlies section for full details.

Your kickoff is pushed back. If the service stalls past your scheduled kickoff, your fixture is pushed to a new kickoff a short time from now rather than simulated silently. Both managers get a "Match Rescheduled" notification with the new time, and the Match Centre shows a "Rescheduled from..." banner so it's clear the kickoff moved.

Your setup carries over. Your tactics and lineup carry over, so you don't need to set anything again. You can still adjust them up until the new kickoff.

A pill marks it. On your fixture list, a rescheduled match shows a small "Rescheduled" pill next to the new kickoff time.

Very long delays. If moving the kickoff would clash with the next day's fixtures, the match is simulated directly and marked "simulated after a scheduling delay" on the report. No spoiler notification fires, so you see a clean result when you next visit the match page.