World Cup 2014 Tie, Draw, Extra Time, Penalty Shootouts: What Happens When Teams Are All Square in the Semi Finals, Final?

The knock-out stages of the World Cup are settled very differently from the group stages.
World Cup 2014 Tie, Draw, Extra Time, Penalty Shootouts: What Happens When Teams Are All Square in the Semi Finals, Final?
Fabio Grosso (L) of Italy takes the matchwinning penalty, as Goalkeeper Fabien Barthez (2nd R) of France dives the wrong way during the FIFA World Cup Germany 2006 Final match between Italy and France at the Olympic Stadium on July 9, 2006 in Berlin, Germany. (Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
6/28/2014
Updated:
7/18/2015

The knock-out stages of the World Cup are settled very differently from the group stages.

In the group stage, matches can end in a draw. From the second round on, only the winning team can progress to the subsequent round.

So how does it work out in a match that ends in a tie after the full-time whistle?

After a short break, teams will play an additional 30 minutes of extra-time. This period is split into two 15-minute halves, with stoppage time added after each 15 minute slot.

If scores are still level after extra-time, penalty shootouts will take place. Each team will assign five different players to take penalty kicks. The winner will be decided in best of five format, so there is a possibility that a team loses before taking all their penalties.

In the event that the teams are tied after taking five penalties each, both teams will cycle through their remaining six players in a sudden-death penalty shootout, i.e., if one team scores and the other fails, the team that took the successful penalty goes through.

Trivia

Before 2005, the game would stop if any team scored first during extra-time. Instead, a “golden goal” or “silver goal” ruling would apply, where the team that scored in extra-time would either win immediately (golden goal) or the game would end after the first half of extra-time in favor of the team that is ahead (silver goal).

The last time a “golden goal” scenario occurred was in 2002 World Cup. South Korea’s Ahn Jung-Hwan scored the “golden” goal against Italy.

As for penalties, 22 World Cup matches have been settled in this fashion, including the 1994 and 2006 finals in USA and Germany respectively.

Larry Ong is a New York-based journalist with Epoch Times. He writes about China and Hong Kong. He is also a graduate of the National University of Singapore, where he read history.
Related Topics