Due to a delay in play at the beginning of the game. At the conclusion of the first half, referee Raphael Claus signaled 14 minutes of additional time due to an injury to Iranian goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand’s nose from a collision with his teammate Majid Hosseini.
Since these records have been kept, this is a duration that has never been experienced in a World Cup.
14 minutes – the record for the longest added time in one half of a World Cup match
Jude Bellingham, Bukayo Saka, and Raheem Sterling all put on impressive performances as the Three Lions easily won their first match of the competition.
Nevertheless, despite the first half being glistening with amazing class, it will be remembered as the longest opening period of a World Cup game ever. In the previous 21 World Cups, there had not been an additional 14 minutes of time.
27 minutes of additional time in total – the longest World Cup group stage game of all time
The second half of England vs. Iran smashed even another record, becoming the longest World Cup group stage match in history. The overall amount of added time was 27 minutes, including an additional +13 minutes in the second half. Due to this, the game’s real playing length was an astounding 117 minutes, or almost as long as a regular game with extra time.
However, the League Cup match between Burton Albion and Bournemouth in September 2019 only had a total of 28 minutes of additional time; this match between England and Iran does not surpass it. The reason? The Burton Albion stadium experienced numerous power outages.
