Extra time in soccer is an additional 30 minutes of play, split into two halves of 15 minutes each, used to decide a knockout match that is level after normal time; if the teams are still tied after extra time, the match goes to a penalty shootout. It is the standard way cup and tournament ties produce a winner when the game cannot end in a draw.
When extra time is used
Extra time only appears in knockout competitions, where a match must produce a winner so the tournament can advance. Cup finals, tournament rounds, and playoff games all fall into this category. By contrast, ordinary league fixtures are allowed to end in a draw, so they never go to extra time; the points are simply shared. If a game can be a tie, extra time is not part of it.
How extra time is structured
Once normal time ends level, there is a short break before extra time begins. The two teams then play a first period of 15 minutes, swap ends after a brief pause, and play a second period of 15 minutes. As in normal play, the referee can add stoppage time to the end of each 15-minute period to make up for delays, so extra time often runs slightly longer than a clean 30 minutes.
Play continues under the same rules as the rest of the match. Goals scored in extra time count exactly as they would at any other point in the game, and the team ahead when extra time ends is the winner. There is no golden-goal ending in the current format: both 15-minute periods are always played out in full, even if a team scores early in the first period. Fitness becomes a real factor here, because players are being asked to keep going well beyond the usual 90 minutes, which is one reason competitions may allow an extra substitution once extra time begins.
What happens if the score is still level
If neither team leads at the end of the second period of extra time, the match is decided by a penalty shootout. This is a separate procedure, not part of extra time itself, and it exists to guarantee a result no matter how tight the contest has been.
How a penalty shootout works
In a penalty shootout, teams take turns striking a penalty kick from the penalty mark against the opposing goalkeeper. The basic format works like this:
- Each team selects five players to take the first five kicks, taken alternately.
- The team that scores more of its five kicks wins.
- If the score is level after five kicks each, the shootout goes to sudden death: teams take one kick each, and the first side to lead after both have taken an equal number of kicks wins.
- Only players on the pitch at the end of extra time are eligible to take kicks.
A shootout can end before all five kicks are taken if one team builds a lead the other cannot catch. For example, if a side is ahead by more goals than the opponent has kicks left, the shootout stops immediately. The kicks are taken at one end of the pitch, chosen by the referee, and a coin toss decides which team goes first. Every eligible outfield player and goalkeeper must take a kick before anyone can take a second, which is why sudden death can eventually involve players who are not usually known as penalty takers.
The rules behind extra time
The structure of extra time and penalty shootouts is set out in the Laws of the Game, maintained by the International Football Association Board (IFAB) and used worldwide under FIFA. The Laws define the length of the periods, the shootout procedure, and details such as which players are eligible. Individual competitions can add their own tweaks within those rules, such as allowing an extra substitution during extra time, so the fine print can vary from one tournament to another.
A note on older rules
Extra time has looked different in the past. Some competitions once experimented with methods designed to end the game the moment a goal was scored in the additional period, so that a single strike would settle it. Those experiments were later dropped in favor of the current format, in which both 15-minute periods are always played out in full before any shootout. Today, the two-halves-then-penalties structure is the near-universal standard, closely related to how a referee manages added time throughout the match.
Frequently asked questions
How long is extra time in soccer?
Extra time is two halves of 15 minutes each, for 30 minutes in total, plus any stoppage time the referee adds to each half.
When is extra time played?
Only in knockout matches that need a winner and are tied at the end of normal time. League fixtures that allow draws do not use extra time.
What happens if it is still a draw after extra time?
The match is decided by a penalty shootout, in which teams take alternating penalty kicks until one side has an unbeatable lead.
Do players change ends at half time in extra time?
Yes. There is a short break to switch ends between the two 15-minute periods, but no long interval like the one at half time in normal play.
Is a substitute allowed in extra time?
Under the current Laws of the Game, competitions may permit an additional substitution during extra time on top of the regular allowance, but the exact number depends on the competition rules.
