How Penalty Shootouts Work: World Cup Rules, Order and Sudden Death Explained

Sooner or later, every World Cup knockout night arrives at the same place: the spot. Egypt won their first-ever knockout match from twelve yards; Morocco knocked out the Netherlands the same way. Here is exactly how a penalty shootout works — every rule, in plain language.

When does a shootout happen?

In the knockout rounds, a match level after 90 minutes goes to extra time: two halves of 15 minutes, played in full (no golden goal — that was abolished after 2002). If the teams are still level after 120 minutes, the shootout decides who advances. The result of the match itself is recorded as a draw; the shootout only determines who goes through.

The coin toss matters more than you think

The referee tosses a coin twice: once to pick the goal the kicks are taken at (often toward one set of fans — a real psychological factor), and once to decide who shoots first. Studies of decades of shootouts suggest the team shooting first wins more often — the chasing team spends the whole shootout kicking to survive.

The rules of each kick

Only players on the pitch at the final whistle of extra time may take part, and the goalkeeper can be changed only for injury (if a substitution remains). Each kick must go forward off one movement — no stopping at the end of the run-up, though feints during it are legal. The goalkeeper must have part of one foot on or level with the line when the ball is struck; leave early and the kick is retaken (with a warning, then a booking). A scored kick counts once it wholly crosses the line — rebounds do not exist in shootouts. The taker cannot touch the ball twice, which is why a penalty that bounces back off the post is simply over.

Five kicks, then sudden death

Teams alternate for five kicks each. The shootout ends the moment the result is mathematically decided — if a team leads by more kicks than the opponent has remaining, nobody keeps shooting (which is why 3–0 after three perfect kicks and three misses ends it). Level after five each? Sudden death: one kick each, round by round, until one team scores and the other doesn't. Every player must take a kick before anyone shoots twice — in theory the goalkeepers eventually step up, and sometimes they win it themselves.

What was ABBA?

Football briefly trialled an "ABBA" order (like a tennis tiebreak) to soften the first-shooter advantage, but it confused players and crowds and was shelved — the World Cup uses the classic ABAB alternation.

One last number for the group chat: at World Cups, roughly seven in ten kicks are scored — which means in every shootout, someone almost certainly misses. That's why nobody breathes.

Follow every knockout shootout kick-by-kick on KickD — live scores, penalty tallies on every scoreboard, and the report at the whistle.

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