Extra Time
Additional playing periods used in knockout matches to decide a winner when the scores are level at the end of normal time.
Definition
Extra time is a further period of play added when a match that must produce a winner is tied at the end of normal time. In association football it usually consists of two halves of fifteen minutes, both played in full, after which a penalty shoot-out follows if the scores remain level. It is used chiefly in knockout competitions where a draw is not an acceptable result.
Extra time should not be confused with stoppage or added time, which compensates for interruptions during a half of normal play; extra time is a separate stage that begins only after full time in a tied match. Rules vary by sport and competition, and some formats have historically used sudden-death variants where the first score ends the match. The American term for this concept is overtime.
Scope: Extra time is an additional period played to break a tie, not the same as stoppage or added time, which compensates for interruptions within normal play.
Where you’ll hear “extra time”
Sports that use this term:
Football
The world’s most popular team sport — endless running, teamwork and community in one game.
Rugby
A physical team sport of carrying, passing and kicking an oval ball toward the opposing line.
Basketball
A fast, dynamic team sport of running, jumping and quick decisions on court.
Ice Hockey
A fast team sport on ice that combines skating skill with quick passing and goal-scoring.
How it connects
The meaning-bearing relationships that place Extra Time in the wider knowledge graph.
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Decision making
- When to attackRecognising the moment to commit to an attacking action — spotting an opening and judging whether it is the right time to take it.
- Reading spaceSeeing where space is — and is not — on the field or court, and using it to decide where to move, pass or play.
- Adapting to conditionsAdjusting your decisions as the conditions around you change — weather, surface, equipment, fatigue or an opponent's style.
- Time-pressure decisionsChoosing what to do when there is very little time between reading a situation and having to act.
- Pacing decisionsIn-the-moment choices about how to spend energy over time — when to push, hold back, conserve or surge.
Officiating
- TimekeeperThe timekeeper is the official who runs a contest's clock — starting and stopping time, timing rounds, races and periods, and signalling when time expires.
- AdvantageIn many sports, officials let play continue after a foul when stopping would help the offender, so the fouled team keeps the advantage it has gained.
Equipment
- Football (soccer ball)A round, inflated ball used to play association football and futsal.
- Padel racketA solid, stringless perforated racket used to play padel.
- BasketballA large, inflated ball with a dimpled surface used to play basketball.
- Badminton racketA lightweight strung racket used to hit the shuttlecock in badminton.
- Tennis racquetA strung frame with a handle used to hit the ball in tennis.
Strategies
- Playing the percentagesFavouring the higher-probability, lower-risk option most of the time to cut out unforced errors, while recognising when a calculated risk is worth taking.
- Using Width and SpaceA side's plan to stretch the playing area and open gaps when attacking, then shrink and control that space when defending.
Rules
- Out of boundsThe rule that a ball or player leaving the marked playing area is out of play and possession is decided at the boundary.
- Yellow and red cardsThe disciplinary cards a football referee shows to caution or send off a player for misconduct.
- Handball offenceA foul in football committed when an outfield player deliberately handles or controls the ball with the hand or arm.
- Throw-inThe method of restarting football when the ball fully crosses a side line, taken by throwing it back into play.
- Penalty kick awardA one-on-one kick against the goalkeeper awarded when a defending player commits a direct-free-kick foul inside their own penalty area.