What happens in the case of a tie in 2026 World Cup semi-final games?

Spain is through to the final after beating France and now Argentina is facing England as all four top four FIFA ranked teams had reached this stage of the tournament.

By the end of Wednesday night, we will know who will take on Spain in the 2026 World Cup final with the showpiece game scheduled to take place in New York/New Jersey on Sunday July 19.

No ties in the semi-finals

Once the tournament reaches the knockout stage, every game must produce a winner. That means if two teams are level at the end of regulation, the match doesn’t end. It moves on to extra time, and if needed, penalties.

Step 1: Extra time (30 minutes)

If a round of 16 match is tied after 90 minutes (plus stoppage time), it goes to extra time.

Extra time consists of:

• Two 15-minute halves
• A short break between periods
• Additional stoppage time added at the end of each half

Unlike older formats, there is no “golden goal”. Teams play the full 30 minutes regardless of whether someone scores during that period.

Step 2: Penalty shootout

If the score is still tied after extra time, the match is decided by a penalty shootout.

How a penalty shootout works:

• Each team takes five penalties, alternating kicks
• A coin toss determines which team shoots first
• The team with more goals after five rounds wins

If the penalty score is tied after five kicks each, the shootout goes to sudden death, with the as yet unused players getting involved:

• Each team continues to take one kick per round alternately
• If one scores and the other misses, the game ends immediately

Note that if it is still level after all 11 players have taken a penalty, including goalkeepers, the player order repeats itself until we have a winner.

Penalty shoot-outs at World Cup semi-finals

A total of five men’s FIFA World Cup semi-final matches have been decided by a penalty shootout.

1. 1982: West Germany 3–3 France (West Germany won 5–4 on penalties)
2. 1990: Argentina 1–1 Italy (Argentina won 4–3 on penalties)
3. 1990: West Germany 1–1 England (West Germany won 4–3 on penalties)
4. 1998: Brazil 1–1 Netherlands (Brazil won 4–2 on penalties)
5. 2014: Netherlands 0–0 Argentina (Argentina won 4–2 on penalties)

Ten World Cup semi-finals have gone to extra time, and half of those eventually required a shoot-out.

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