What happens in the case of a tie in 2026 World Cup semi-final games?
Four sides remain in contention for the biggest prize in global soccer as the World Cup semifinals get under this way this week.
And then there were four surviving sides as the quarter final stage saw exits from the 2026 World Cup for Morocco, Belgium, Norway and Switzerland and for the first time ever in World Cup history, all four top four FIFA ranked teams have reached this stage of the tournament.
By the end of Wednesday night, we will know the two sides who will contest the 2026 World Cup final with the showpiece game scheduled to take place in New York/New Jersey on Sunday July 19th.
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.
- 1982: West Germany 3–3 France (West Germany won 5–4 on penalties)
- 1990: Argentina 1–1 Italy (Argentina won 4–3 on penalties)
- 1990: West Germany 1–1 England (West Germany won 4–3 on penalties)
- 1998: Brazil 1–1 Netherlands (Brazil won 4–2 on penalties)
- 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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