If you’ve ever booted up an exhibition match in eFootball 2022 only to realize the default 10-minute halves are too short for your slow, possession-focused playstyle, or too long for a quick casual game with friends, you’re not alone. Figuring out how to change match time in eFootball 2022 isn’t as obvious as it was in earlier Pro Evolution Soccer titles, thanks to the updated menu layout Konami rolled out with the franchise rebrand. I’ve spent dozens of hours tinkering with custom match settings for local co-op nights and offline career play, so I’ve put together this no-nonsense guide to walk you through every step, plus fixes for the most common issues you might run into. Even if you’re brand new to the game, you’ll be able to adjust your match lengths in less than a minute once you know where to look.
Step-by-Step Guide to Change Match Time in eFootball 2022 for Offline Matches
When you’re learning how to change match time in eFootball 2022, the first thing to remember is this process only works for offline, non-ranked game modes. Note that this process only applies to offline custom matches, as online ranked matches have fixed half lengths you can’t adjust to keep competition fair for all players. The steps are nearly identical across PlayStation, Xbox, and PC versions of the game, so you can follow this guide no matter what platform you play on.
First, from the main menu, select the "Game Modes" tab, then pick the offline mode you want to play, whether that’s Exhibition, local co-op, or a one-off friendly. Once you land on the team selection screen, look for the small gear icon in the top right corner of the screen — that’s the match settings menu, which a lot of players miss because it’s so small and blends in with the background art. Click that icon, then scroll down to the "Match Settings" subsection, where you’ll see the "Half Length" option listed right above the difficulty and weather settings.
You can adjust this anywhere from 1 minute to 30 minutes per half, depending on what you’re looking for. Once you’ve picked your preferred length, wait a second for the game to register the change, then back out of the menu and confirm your team selection to save the settings. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve skipped past the team selection screen too fast and forgotten to adjust this, only to end up stuck with 4-minute halves that end before I can even build a decent attack.
Adjusting Match Time for Master League and Custom Tournaments
A lot of players assume that match time settings carry over across all game modes, but that’s not the case for persistent offline modes like Master League or custom created tournaments. Unlike the quick adjustments you make for exhibition matches when you know how to change match time in eFootball 2022, persistent mode settings are locked once you start your save, so you have to set them upfront. If you’ve already started a Master League save, you can’t change the match time mid-save, so you’ll need to make this call before you select your club to manage.
For custom tournaments, you can adjust half lengths in the tournament setup menu, under the "Rules" tab, right after you pick the number of teams and competition format. You can also set different half lengths for group stage matches and knockout matches if you want to make the later rounds of your tournament feel higher stakes. One thing to keep in mind here: longer match times will make player stamina matter far more than it does in short 5-minute halves.
If you’re playing 15-minute halves, for example, you’ll want to carry extra wingers and midfielders on your bench to avoid having tired players getting caught out on counters in the final 10 minutes of play. I learned this the hard way when I set up a 20-minute half Master League save and forgot to adjust my squad depth, ending up with 3 injured starters in the first month of the season because they were too fatigued to tackle properly.
Common Issues That Prevent Match Time Changes From Saving
If you’re running into issues when you try to change match time in eFootball 2022, you’re not the only one. Even if you follow all the steps correctly, you might run into glitches that make your match time revert to the default 10 minutes as soon as you start the game. These are usually easy to fix once you know what’s causing them:
- You didn’t confirm the settings before exiting the menu: Many players hit the back button too fast, and the game doesn’t register the change. Always wait 2-3 seconds after adjusting the half length before backing out, or select the "Apply Settings" prompt that pops up at the bottom of the screen if it appears.
- You’re trying to adjust time for an online ranked match: Konami locks all match rules for online ranked matches to prevent unfair advantages, so you won’t see the half length option at all in these modes. This is not a glitch, it’s an intentional design choice.
- You have a corrupted custom settings file: If you’ve imported custom team kits, logos, or player faces, there’s a small chance your local settings file got corrupted. Resetting your game settings to default will fix this issue, though you’ll have to re-add your custom content afterward.
If you’re still having issues after checking all these points, try restarting your game before you try adjusting the settings again. I’ve had this happen once or twice on the PS5 version of the game, and a quick restart always fixed it without me needing to reset any saved data. If you play on PC, make sure you don’t have any mods running that modify match rules, as these can override any in-game adjustments you make.
Best Match Time Settings for Different Playstyles
Now that you know how to adjust your match time, you might be wondering what length works best for what you’re trying to do. There’s no one right answer, but there are some general guidelines that work for most players, based on how much time you have and what kind of experience you’re looking for.
For quick casual games with friends: Stick to 4-6 minute halves. These matches usually last around 20-30 minutes total, which is perfect if you’re taking turns playing or just want to fit in a few games before you head out. You’ll see higher scorelines with these shorter halves, which makes for fun, low-stakes games even if one player is far better than the other.
For realistic Master League play: Go for 10-15 minute halves. This gives you enough time to build up attacks, make substitutions, and see realistic scorelines (usually 1-3 goals per match, rather than the 5-6 goals you’ll see in very short halves). You’ll also notice fouls, injuries, and yellow cards feel more balanced at this length, instead of feeling like rare random events.
For practice sessions: If you’re trying to master new skill moves or work on your defensive positioning, set halves to 20-30 minutes. You won’t have to constantly restart matches, so you can get far more practice time in per session. I personally use 12-minute halves for all my Master League saves, because it hits the sweet spot between realistic play and not taking too long to get through a full season. If you’re playing on higher difficulty levels, you might want to add a couple of minutes to your half length to give yourself more time to break down tough AI defenses.
At the end of the day, the right match time is whatever makes the game fun for you, and now you have all the info you need to adjust it to fit your preferences. Next time you boot up the game, you won’t have to waste time hunting through menus to figure out how to change match time in eFootball 2022, and you’ll know how to fix the most common glitches if they pop up. Don’t be afraid to test out different lengths to see what works best for your playstyle — I went through three or four different half lengths before I landed on the 12-minute mark that I use now. If you’re playing with friends, ask them what they prefer too, so everyone can enjoy the game without feeling rushed or bored by overly long matches.