Football after kick-off: halves, red cards and live bets
Live football betting means placing a bet on a match that has already kicked off and is still being played. In this sport a match in progress is described by the score, the time left and the players each team has on the pitch.
The Laws of the Game decide how each of these can change. The rules below are taken from their 2026/27 edition, approved by The IFAB and in force since 1 July 2026.
Two halves, a break and the minutes added on
A match is played over two halves of 45 minutes. Between them the players are entitled to a half-time interval of no more than 15 minutes, and the competition rules fix its exact length.
To each half the referee adds the playing time lost in it, for example through substitutions, injuries, time-wasting, disciplinary sanctions, VAR checks and reviews or goal celebrations. This additional time is played at the end of the half.
A level score after the second half does not always settle the tie. If the competition rules require a winner after a drawn match, or after a two-legged tie that ends level on aggregate, the tie can be settled in extra time, played as two equal periods of up to 15 minutes, by penalties, or by both.
Red cards, penalties and substitutions
Moment | What the Laws of the Game say | What it changes |
|---|---|---|
Sending-off | A player sent off after the kick-off cannot be replaced | The team carries on with one player fewer; a match cannot continue if either team has fewer than seven players |
Penalty kick | Awarded when a player commits a direct free kick offence inside their own penalty area | A goal may be scored directly from the kick; if time runs out before it is taken, the half is extended until the kick is completed |
Substitution | In an official competition a team may normally use up to five substitutes, plus one more in extra time where the competition rules allow it; FIFA, the confederation or the national football association sets the number | In top-division club and senior national-team competitions that allow five substitutes, a team has at most three substitution opportunities in normal playing time, plus changes at half-time |
A goal, the moment that changes the score, counts when the whole of the ball has passed over the goal line, between the goalposts and under the crossbar, and the scoring team has committed no offence. When the match ends, the side with more goals wins; equal scores, 0-0 included, make it a draw.
Competition calendars for 2026/27
CAF Champions League: the 16 clubs that win through the second preliminary round go into a six-matchday group stage, played from late November 2026 to late January 2027; the final is due in May 2027.
UEFA Champions League: 36 clubs share one league-phase table, each meeting eight different opponents. That phase ends on 27 January 2027, the knockout phase play-offs follow in February, and Madrid's Estadio Metropolitano stages the final on 5 June 2027.
England. Premier League: 20 clubs play 380 matches in a season running from 21 August 2026 to 30 May 2027, and a draw earns each club one point.
Africa Cup of Nations: Sudan, the Falcons of Jediane, play their qualifiers in Group J with Senegal, Mozambique and Ethiopia, and qualifying ends with the fifth and sixth matchdays between 22 and 30 March 2027. The 24-team finals follow in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania from 19 June to 17 July 2027.
Pre-match or in play
A pre-match bet is placed before the first whistle, when no goal has been scored and all of the playing time is still ahead. 1xBet takes such football bets before kick-off (Line), on the pre-match football page.
A live bet is placed on the match as it stands at that moment: part of the time has gone, and goals, red cards or substitutions may already have changed it. Once play is under way, 1xBet takes these bets (Live) in the Live betting section.