How FIFA World Cup rules on extra time and tiebreakers work for 2026

Sports How FIFA World Cup rules on extra time and tiebreakers work for 2026 By Kierra Frazier Kierra Frazier News Editor Kierra Frazier is a news editor for CBS News & Stations. Read Full Bio Kierra Frazier June 11, 2026 / 6:00 AM EDT / CBS News Add CBS News on Google The 2026 FIFA Men's World Cup gets underway Thursday, but some of the tournament's most memorable moments may come after the clock hits 90 minutes and extra time is added. Games are likely to be tied at the end of regulation at the World Cup, especially in the late stages of the tournament with a highly competitive field. At the 2022 FIFA Men's World Cup, Argentina defeated France 4-2 on penalties after a 3-3 draw in extra time.Here are the rules for extra time and how tiebreakers work at the 2026 FIFA Men's World Cup, plus the new rules for this year's tournament.Added time, extra time and tiebreaker rulesEach match is 90 minutes, split into two 45-minute halves. At the end of each half, however, there will be added time to make up for stoppages in play — such as when a player is injured, or there is a lengthy replay review — when the clock keeps running. If a match is still tied at the end of regulation, it goes into extra time with 30 minutes added. This time will be divided into two 15-minute periods, with a short break in between, and added time also applied to those two mini-halves.Extra time only applies to the games in the round of 32, round of 16, the quarterfinals, semifinals, third-place match and the final. Group Stage matches can end in a draw.If a match is still tied after 30 minutes of extra time, the game will be decided in a best-of-five penalty shootout, with each team taking alternating shots from the penalty mark. A coin toss determines which team kicks first.If the teams have hit the same number of shots after their first five penalty kicks, each subsequent round becomes sudden death, meaning if one team scores and the other doesn't, the scoring team wins &mdas...