World Cup 2026: What are the extra time and penalty shootout rules?

What the report says

Al Jazeera reported on July 19, 2026, that the later stages of the 2026 FIFA World Cup have already produced several matches settled by penalty shootouts, prompting an explainer on how tied knockout games are decided. The report says that when a World Cup knockout match is level after the normal 90 minutes, teams play extra time before any shootout is used.

Under the rules outlined by Al Jazeera, extra time is a 30-minute period split into two 15-minute halves, with the teams changing ends at the interval. If the score remains tied after that added period, the match moves to penalties. The referee uses coin tosses to determine the goal for the shootout and, typically, which team takes the opening kick.

Each side initially nominates five penalty takers, with attempts taken alternately. Only players who were on the field when extra time ended are eligible, though that can include goalkeepers. If the teams are still level after five attempts each, the contest continues into sudden death: one kick per team in each round until one scores and the other fails. Al Jazeera also noted that the goalkeeper must stay on the goal line, between the posts and facing the kicker, until the ball is struck, though lateral movement is allowed.

For context, the report cited several well-known World Cup shootouts, including Brazil’s 1994 final win over Italy, the 1990 semifinals involving West Germany, England, Argentina and Italy, Italy’s 2006 final victory over France, and Croatia’s penalty wins in 2018.