Does the World Cup have overtime? Rules for the 2026 tournament

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Does the World Cup have overtime?

That might be a question you're asking, especially after watching Canada's opening match against Bosnia and Herzegovina. The competition kicked off this week and we've already seen a tie game.

With the NBA Finals and NHL's Stanley Cup Final going on at the same time as the soccer tournament, it's evident that overtime creates extra excitement for a sports match. Just see Game 1 of the Western Conference finals, which went into double overtime and saw Victor Wembanyama breaking the record for youngest player to register at least 40 points and 20 rebounds in a playoff game. The NHL championship round has had two overtime games, including a double OT one.

So what happens in the World Cup?

Does the World Cup have overtime?

No... and yes.

The World Cup does not have overtime in the group stage, which is being played now through June 27. If a match is tied when the clock runs out, the game is called a draw.

Each country is awarded one point for a draw. If a team wins a match, they receive three points. At the end of the group stage, the top two teams with the most points in each of the 12 groups will advance to the first knockout stage. The top eight third-place teams will also move forward.

Once the tournament reaches the knockout stages, starting June 28 with the first-ever Round of 32, a winner must be decided to advance. Therefore, if a match is tied when regulation runs out, it will go to overtime, also called "extra time." This is an additional 30 minutes of play split in half with a break in between. There is also stoppage time as needed. If one team has scored more goals than the other in extra time, they are the winners and will advance.

If the match is still tied at the end of extra time, the competition turns to penalty kicks. Each team takes five kicks with a different player each round. Whichever side scores the most penalty kicks wins.

If the teams are tied after five penalty kicks each, then the tiebreaker goes to sudden death. The teams continue taking turns shooting penalty kicks until one team scores and the other misses.

What is 'overtime' called in soccer?

The term "overtime" actually isn't commonly used in soccer. The playing time added to the end of a match is usually called "extra time."