Extra time rules in World Cup, explained: How ‘overtime’ works in soccer before penalty kicks
Extra time rules in World Cup, explained: How ‘overtime’ works in soccer before penalty kicks originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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While soccer features draws often, even in the World Cup, there are times when each match needs a winner and loser. Therefore, the sport uses extra time on top of regulation.
Extra time is basically overtime in soccer, with the rules mimicking a miniature version of a match. With how close World Cup matches tend to be, extra time is necessary during the knockout stage that requires one team to be eliminated from contention.
For casual fans, the extra time rules may seem a little different than expected, but it’s all in the name of competitiveness and fairness. Here’s a breakdown of the extra time rules in the World Cup.
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Extra time rules in World Cup
If a World Cup knockout stage match is tied after regulation, the two teams will play extra time to determine a winner, the sport’s version of overtime.
How long is extra time in World Cup?
Extra time in the World Cup knockout round is essentially two 15-minute halves plus stoppage time, which results in 30 minutes of added time. The stoppage time in extra time is usually just around one or two minutes, so it doesn’t play a huge role in the overall added time.
Besides the 30 minutes of extra time, the teams get five minutes in between regulation and extra time to prepare, then another one minute break in between the two extra time halves.
When does extra time end in soccer?
If the match is tied after 90 minutes, teams automatically play another 30 minutes to determine who wins the match. Therefore, extra time in soccer concludes after 30 minutes, which brings the total match time to 120 minutes overall
What happens after extra time in soccer?
If the match is still tied after the 30-minute extra time period, the teams will then go to penalty kicks to decide a winning team. Each team gets five penalty kicks, with the most goals after five rounds winning the match. If the teams scored the same number of goals after five rounds, there is subsequent sudden death penalty kick rounds until someone wins a round, which means winning the match.
Can World Cup knockout games end in a tie?
Since there needs to be a winner in the knockout stage of the World Cup, these matches can’t end in a tie. Teams play 30 minutes of extra time, and if the game is still tied, move to penalty kicks to see who moves on to the next round and who goes home.
How long between extra time and penalties?
Once extra time is over, and the score is still tied, the match immediately goes into penalty kicks. Teams have just a few minutes to prepare for the PKs before they begin.
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Extra time vs. stoppage time
Extra time vs. stoppage time is the difference between determining a winner and making sure a full 90 minutes of action took place.
Stoppage time occurs every match, as the officials add a select number of minutes each half to make up for the amount of time that wasn’t played in those halves. This is necessary because soccer uses a running clock for the first 45 minutes of each half, so stoppage time is just cleaning up time before each half ends.
Extra time, meanwhile, is how soccer decides a winner in a tie match that doesn’t in a draw. Extra time includes 30 minutes of running time along with a few minutes of stoppage times after regulation ends.
Why do they add extra time in soccer?
Extra time is necessary in soccer if the match needs a winner instead of ending in a tie. While many soccer matches can end in a tie, knockout stage matches that require one team to move on and one team to go home are eligible to enter extra time if the two teams are tied after 90 minutes.
Is there a golden goal in World Cup games?
The World Cup doesn’t use golden goal in tied matches. Instead, the teams automatically play 30 minutes of extra time, switching ends mid-way through after abbreviated halftimes.
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