How does extra time work in football

Extra time in football is two equal periods of 15 minutes each played when competition rules require a winner after a match is drawn, and it is the middle step of the three permitted ways to decide a tie under Law 10 of the IFAB Laws of the Game. If the score is still level after extra time, the match proceeds to a penalty shoot-out. In the Premier League season itself extra time is never used: the 38-match programme is decided on points, draws are draws, and a tied title race is settled by tiebreakers rather than extra time. A neutral-venue play-off is the only scenario in the league structure where extra time and penalties could decide a Premier League issue, and that play-off would be decided under Law 10.

How extra time works

Extra time consists of two halves, each of 15 minutes, with a short break between them. The teams change ends at the end of the first 15-minute period. The referee tosses a coin before the start of extra time because it is a new kick-off, and the procedure is the same as at the start of the match: the team that wins the toss decides which goal to attack in the first half of extra time or to take the kick-off, and the opponents take the other option.

Law 10 is precise about what is permitted. When competition rules require a winning team after a drawn match or a home-and-away tie, the only permitted procedures are the away goals rule, two equal periods of extra time not exceeding 15 minutes each, and penalties (a penalty shoot-out). A combination of those may be used. The law does not prescribe a golden goal or any sudden-death format. Extra time is played in full, and only if the score is still level at the end of both 15-minute periods does the match move to a shoot-out.

Substitutions during extra time follow Law 3. If a team has not used the maximum number of substitutes and substitution opportunities during the 90 minutes, any unused substitutes and substitution opportunities carry into extra time. Where competition rules permit one additional substitute in extra time, each team gets one additional substitution opportunity. Substitutions made between full-time and the start of extra time, and at half-time of extra time, do not count as used substitution opportunities.

The 2026/27 rules that apply in extra time

The four Premier League rule changes for 2026/27 do not pause for extra time. They apply in the 30 additional minutes exactly as they do in normal time, and each bites harder when players are tired and the temptation to slow the game down is strongest. The full new rules for 2026/27 cover the package in detail.

The five-second countdown on throw-ins and goal kicks carries into extra time. A delayed throw-in past five seconds goes to the opposition. A delayed goal kick past five seconds concedes a corner. In a period where every possession carries the weight of a deciding goal, losing the ball to a slow restart is a catastrophic way to concede momentum.

The one-minute injury treatment rule also applies. A player receiving on-field treatment or assessment must leave the field and stay off for at least one minute after play restarts, up from 30 seconds, and the team plays temporarily with ten. In extra time, when muscle injuries and cramp are at their most common, playing a full minute a man short can be the difference between a shoot-out and a winner in the 118th minute.

The 10-second substitution limit applies too. A substituted player has 10 seconds to leave the pitch, and if they exceed it the replacement cannot enter until the first stoppage after a full minute has elapsed. The substitution rules govern this in normal time and extra time equally. The goalkeeper injury trial also carries over: if play stops for a goalkeeper injury, the manager nominates an outfield player to leave immediately and stay off for one minute after the restart, unless the stoppage was caused by a foul on the keeper, a collision where both players need attention, or a bleeding keeper.

When extra time appears in English football

The Premier League season never goes to extra time. The league table is decided by points, then tiebreakers. Twenty clubs play 38 matches each, home and away, for 380 matches per season, and three points for a win and one for a draw mean a drawn match is a settled result, not a tie to be resolved. The 2026/27 season runs from 21 August 2026 to 30 May 2027, with 33 weekend rounds and 5 midweek rounds, and the final round on Sunday 30 May 2027 has all ten fixtures kicking off simultaneously so the title race cannot be affected by teams playing at different times.

Where extra time enters Premier League territory is the tiebreaker rule. If two or more clubs finish level on points at the end of the season, the league applies goal difference, then goals scored, then head-to-head record. If the clubs are still level and the position in question decides the title, relegation, or European qualification, a play-off at a neutral venue may be used. That play-off is a single knockout match, which is where extra time and a penalty shoot-out would finally apply to a Premier League outcome. No Premier League title has needed one in the current structure, but the rule exists precisely because the league will not use extra time inside its own programme.

Outside the league, extra time is a routine part of knockout football. The most recent high-profile example in the data is the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League final: Paris Saint-Germain 1-1 Arsenal after extra time at the Puskas Arena in Budapest on 30 May 2026, with PSG winning 4-3 on penalties. It was the first penalty shoot-out in the Champions League final since 2016 and the first final to reach extra time in 10 years. That is the shape extra time takes at the sharp end of the season: 30 minutes of open play, then the shoot-out.

Edge cases and common confusions

The most common confusion is whether the golden goal rule applies in extra time. It does not. Law 10 does not include a golden goal or sudden-death provision. Extra time is always played as two full 15-minute periods regardless of how quickly a team scores in them. A goal in the first minute of extra time does not end the period; the teams keep playing until both 15-minute periods are complete.

A second common confusion is whether the away goals rule can decide extra time. Law 10 still lists the away goals rule as a permitted procedure under competition rules, but the law is permissive, not mandatory. A competition chooses which permitted procedures to adopt and may combine them. In practice a tie that is level after extra time is decided by a penalty shoot-out.

A third confusion concerns added time inside extra time. Each 15-minute period of extra time is subject to the same allowance for time lost as a normal half: substitutions, injuries, time-wasting, disciplinary sanctions, and VAR checks all add to the clock. The fourth official indicates the minimum additional time, which can be increased but not reduced. A 15-minute period of extra time is a minimum, and the referee extends it for the same reasons he extends a normal half.

FAQ

How long is extra time in football?

Extra time is two equal periods of 15 minutes each, played when a knockout match is drawn after 90 minutes. If the score is still level after both periods, the match goes to a penalty shoot-out.

Does the Premier League use extra time?

No. The league season is decided on points with tiebreakers, and draws are draws. A play-off at a neutral venue is the only league scenario where extra time could apply, and it is used only if clubs finish level and the position decides the title, relegation, or European qualification.

Can a goal be scored directly from a kick-off during extra time?

Yes. A kick-off in extra time follows the same rule as any other kick-off, and a goal may be scored directly against the opponents from it.

Do the 2026/27 rule changes apply in extra time?

Yes. The five-second countdown on throw-ins and goal kicks, the one-minute injury rule, and the 10-second substitution limit all apply in extra time without modification.

Key takeaways

• Extra time is two equal periods of 15 minutes each under Law 10, followed by a penalty shoot-out if the score is still level.
• The Premier League season never uses extra time; it is decided on points, then goal difference, goals scored, and head-to-head record.
• A neutral-venue play-off is the only league scenario that could reach extra time, and it applies only if the title, relegation, or European qualification is decided.
• The 2026/27 five-second countdown, one-minute injury rule, and 10-second substitution limit all apply during extra time.
• The 2025/26 Champions League final, PSG 1-1 Arsenal in Budapest on 30 May 2026, was the first final to reach extra time in 10 years and the first to a shoot-out since 2016.