As the world’s biggest soccer event, the World Cup brings millions of new eyes to the game. Naturally, not all are familiar with the sport’s terminology—what exactly is a “false nine,” anyway?—or even the rules.
That confusion can lead to a common refrain for the newly initiated: “Wait, there are ties?”
Though unthinkable in most other sports, yes, there are actually ties in soccer. But when teams reach the end of play, things operate a little differently at the World Cup. Here’s how it works.
During group stage play, games can end in a draw after 90 minutes (plus stoppage time). In that event, each team would receive one point in their group standings. In the knockout stages, though, ties are no longer permitted.
During knockout games, if a game remains level after 90 minutes, there will be an extra 30 minutes of extra time to determine a winner, played in two 15-minute increments. The entire half-hour will be played in full, so no “golden goal” rules here.
If, after extra time, the two sides are still tied, the game will be decided by a best-of-five penalty shootout. If there’s still a tie at the end of the shootout, additional rounds of one kick each will be added until the tie is broken, which is also known as sudden death.