Extra Time, Penalty Shoot-outs and the End of Away Goals
League matches can end in a draw, but cup ties and knockout rounds need a winner. Extra time and penalty shoot-outs are the tools competitions use to find one. Here is how they work.
When is extra time played?
Extra time is only used when a competition's rules require a winner on the day, for example in a World Cup knockout match, a cup final or the second leg of a two-legged tie that is level on aggregate. Some domestic cups skip extra time in early rounds and go straight to penalties to protect players' fitness, so the rules vary by competition.
How extra time works
- Two periods of 15 minutes each, with a short break between them and no long interval.
- Teams change ends at the start of the second period.
- The full 30 minutes are always played. There is no "golden goal" or "silver goal" any more; both were abandoned in 2004.
- Teams receive an extra substitution in extra time in most competitions, in addition to any unused substitutions.
On scoreboards a match decided during extra time is marked AET, and goals scored count in the match score and players' totals.
The penalty shoot-out step by step
- The referee tosses a coin to choose the goal used for the kicks, and again to decide which team kicks first.
- Only players on the pitch at the end of the match (including extra time) can take part.
- Each team takes five kicks, alternating. If one team cannot catch up even if it scores all its remaining kicks, the shoot-out ends early.
- If it is still level after five kicks each, the shoot-out goes to sudden death: one kick each until one team scores and the other does not.
- No player can take a second kick until every eligible team-mate, including the goalkeeper, has taken one.
- If one team has more players on the pitch, it must reduce its numbers to match the other team before kicks begin.
The goalkeeper's rules
At the moment of the kick the goalkeeper must have at least part of one foot on, in line with, or behind the goal line. Goalkeepers may move along the line but must not distract the kicker unfairly or delay the kick. If a goalkeeper commits an offence and the kick is missed, it is retaken.
How shoot-outs are recorded
A shoot-out does not change the match score. A match that finished 2-2 after extra time and was won 5-4 on penalties is recorded as a 2-2 draw with the shoot-out result shown separately, for example "2-2 (5-4 pen)". Shoot-out goals do not count towards a player's goal tally. In statistics, the match is usually counted as a draw.
Why the away goals rule was abolished
For more than 50 years, UEFA used away goals to settle level two-legged ties: the team that scored more goals away from home went through. In 2021 UEFA scrapped the rule for all its club competitions from the 2021-22 season. It argued that home advantage had shrunk over the decades, and that the rule discouraged home teams from attacking in the first leg for fear of conceding an away goal. Many domestic competitions followed.
Now, if a two-legged tie is level on aggregate after the second leg, it goes to extra time and then penalties, and away goals carry no extra weight.
Is a shoot-out a lottery?
It feels like one, but research and experience suggest preparation matters. Teams now study opponents' favourite corners, goalkeepers keep notes on water bottles, and coaches choose kickers based on practice data and composure. The team that kicks first has historically won slightly more often, though studies disagree on how big that effect is.
Related guides
Learn what every scoreboard code means in How to Read Live Football Scores, or see how the Champions League knockout rounds are organised.