World Cup 2026: What are the extra time and shootout rules? | | World Cup 2026

The narrator

Several matches in the 2026 World Cup have already ended in penalty shootouts.

It’s the business end of the World Cup and as the game progresses, many can go to extra time or a penalty shootout.

In this explanation, we explain overtime, as well as the rules for overtime and penalty shots.

If 90 minutes of regular play fails to produce a winner in the knockout stages of the World Cup, extra time, or additional playing time, is used to determine the winner.

This is a brief session before moving on to penalties to determine the winner of the game.

Extra time lasts 30 minutes, broken into two 15-minute halves.

At the end of the period, the teams switch sides as they do in a 90-minute match.

When do penalty shootouts take place?

Penalty shootout – when several players from each side aim at the goal one after the other – takes place if the game is still tied after 30 minutes of extra time.

What are the penalty shootout rules?

A coin toss by the umpire determines the target for which the shot is to be fired. The second toss usually decides which team wins first.

In the first round, each team selects five players to play the first five games. Teams try alternate strategies: Team A, then Team B, and so on.

Only players who were on the court at the final call of overtime may take penalties, and any eligible player may be designated as a shooter, including the goalie.

If the teams are still tied after five penalties each, the shootout can go to sudden death.

Each team takes one penalty per round. As soon as one team scores while the other misses the same two, the shootout ends.

The goalkeeper must remain on the goal line, facing the attacker, between the posts until the ball is kicked. They can walk along the line but not ahead of it.

What is the most famous penalty shootout?

• The 1994 World Cup final between Brazil and Italy was the last 1994 World Cup final to be decided by a penalty shootout. Brazil won 3-2 on penalties after a 0-0 draw. Roberto Baggio’s frustrating miss became the most famous moment from the game.
• In the 1990 World Cup, West Germany beat England 4-3, while Argentina edged out Italy 4-3, both matches going to penalties.
• In the 2006 World Cup, Italy defeated France 5-3 on penalties.
• In 2014, Brazil won 3-2 on penalties, defeating Chile in the 16th World Cup.
• At the 2018 World Cup, Croatia beat Denmark 3-2 on penalties in the round of 16 before advancing to the quarterfinals beating Russia 4-3 on penalties.