Euro 2024 final: what happens if there’s a tie between Spain - England?

The Euro 2024 final on Sunday, July 14, at the Olympiastadion in Berlin has Spain facing England for the continental bragging rights. La Roja have been, by everyone’s assessment, the best team of the tournament but the Three Lions are full of top-class players, and have improved as the games have progressed. The English men are desperate to get their hands on the trophy for the very first time.

Anything can happen in a final, and many commentators have predicted this one to be close, maybe even being level as the whistle blows at the end of regulation time. So, what then?

What tie-breakers are used in the knockout rounds in Euro 2024?

All ties in the Euro 2024 knockout stages, including the final, are one-off games and will be settled over 90 minutes, if possible. If the two teams are level at the end of regulation time, extra time will be played in an effort to find a winner. Lasting for 30 minutes, extra time consists of two 15-minute halves and is played in its entirety, regardless of any changes to the score.

If the countries involved still can’t be separated after the additional half hour, the match will be decided by a penalty shootout. Both teams get five penalties each, with spot-kicks taken alternately by each side. If the teams remain level after five penalties each, they take additional rounds of single sudden-death kicks until one scores and the other misses.

Why is there no third-place playoff game in Euro 2024?

The losers of the Spain vs France and Netherlands vs England semifinals i.e. the French and Dutch, are not facing off to decide third place at Euro 2024, unlike in other international tournaments, including the FIFA World Cup and the Copa América.

Interestingly, the Olympiastadion stadium previously hosted the 2006 World Cup final between Italy and France, and the 2015 Champions League final between Barcelona and Juventus.