Overtime (sports)

Overtime (sports)

Overtime, also called extra time, is a way to decide a winner in sports when the game ends in a tie. After the regular time ends with equal scores, teams or players compete in an extra period to find a winner. This is especially important in single-elimination tournaments where only one team can move forward.

Different sports have different rules for overtime. Some use "sudden death," where the first team to score wins right away, also called the golden goal. In other cases, the extra time runs for a set period, and if it's still tied, the game might end as a draw, continue with more overtime, or use a penalty shootout to pick the winner.

Association football

In association football, if the score is tied at the end of the game in knockout competitions, teams play an extra 30 minutes called extra time. This break is short, and players stay near the field. The extra time has two 15-minute halves, with a switch of sides in between. Not all competitions use extra time; they can choose their own way to decide a winner.

In some competitions, like FIFA competitions and top continental team contests, extra time is used if the score is tied after the regular time. In two-leg matches, extra time is only used in the second leg if needed. Some competitions, like the FA Cup, used to have replays until a winner was found, but now they limit replays and use extra time instead. If the score is still tied after extra time, a penalty shoot-out usually decides the winner.

In U.S. college soccer, games tied after 90 minutes used to go into sudden-death overtime, where the first team to score would win. Now, regular season games don’t use this rule anymore. For tournament games, two 10-minute periods are played, and if still tied, a penalty shoot-out decides the winner.

High school rules vary by state, but most use sudden-death overtime where the first team to score wins. If still tied, more overtime periods or a penalty shoot-out can be used to find a winner.

American and Canadian football

National Football League

See also: List of NFL tied games

In the National Football League (NFL), extra time is played when a game is tied at the end of regular time. During regular-season games, if the score is still tied after one 10-minute extra time period, the game ends in a tie. In postseason games, longer 15-minute periods are played until there is a winner.

Procedure

At the start of extra time, there is another coin toss to decide some rules. The team that wins the coin toss chooses whether to kick or receive the ball first. The game continues similarly to regular time, and each team gets two breaks to stop the clock.

The winner is decided in these ways:

• Each team gets at least one chance to play with the ball.
• The team with the most points after both teams have had a turn wins.
• If the team that gets the ball first doesn’t score, or if the score is still tied after both teams have had a turn, the next team to score wins.
• The game ends in a tie if it’s still tied after the 10-minute period.

Because playoff games cannot end in a tie, the extra time rules are changed for these games:

• Each team gets three breaks to stop the clock instead of two.
• Each team gets at least one chance to play with the ball.
• Extra time periods are 15 minutes instead of 10.
• If the score is still tied after the first extra time period, or if the second team hasn’t finished their first chance, more 15-minute periods are played until there is a winner.

History

The NFL started using extra time for some important games in the 1940s. In 1974, extra time was added for regular season and preseason games. Until 2016, the extra time period was 15 minutes in all games; in 2017, it was changed to 10 minutes in regular season games, while it stays 15 minutes for playoff games.

In 2010, NFL owners changed the extra time rules for postseason games, and these changes were also used in the regular season starting in 2012.

Since no 2010 postseason game went into extra time, the first game to use these new rules was in the wild-card round in 2011. This game was also the shortest extra time in NFL history until 2019; Pittsburgh Steelers kicker Shaun Suisham kicked off and the ball went out of the end zone. Tim Tebow, then with the Denver Broncos, threw an 80-yard touchdown pass on the first play to Demaryius Thomas to give the Broncos the win.

The first time the “first-possession field goal” rule was used happened on September 9, 2012, in a game between the Minnesota Vikings and Jacksonville Jaguars. Minnesota’s Blair Walsh kicked a field goal on the Vikings’ first drive.

The first extra time where both teams scored happened on November 18, 2012, in a game between the Houston Texans and Jacksonville Jaguars; the Texans won 43–37.

On February 5, 2017, a Super Bowl went into extra time for the first time, with the New England Patriots defeating the Atlanta Falcons, 34–28; the Patriots scored a touchdown on their first chance.

On December 29, 2019, in their season finale against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Falcons ended the game early in extra time.

A 2022 rule change gives both teams one chance to play with the ball at the start of the first extra time in playoff games, no matter whether a touchdown is scored first; the changes were also used in the regular season starting in 2025. The first game to go into extra time under this rule was Super Bowl LVIII following the 2023 season.

Other professional football leagues

The Arena Football League and NFL Europe used a different extra time rule where each team got one chance to score. Whoever was leading after one chance won the game; if the teams were still tied after one chance, the game went to sudden death. This rule was also used by the second United Football League in its 2009 season.

The short-lived World Football League, in its 1974 season, used a fifteen-minute quarter of extra time, divided into two halves.

The New York Pro Football League, a league from the 1910s that later had some of its teams join the NFL, used replays to decide ties in its playoff tournament.

The current United Football League settles ties by having teams try three rounds of 2-point conversions from the 5-yard line. A coin toss is called by the visiting team; the winner of the toss can choose to get the ball first or defend. Whoever scores the most points after three rounds wins; otherwise, teams play sudden-death rounds until one team scores.

College, high school, and Canadian football

In college (since the 1996 season) and high school football, as well as the Canadian Football League (since the 2000 season) and the short-lived Alliance of American Football, an extra time procedure is used to decide the winner.

• A coin toss decides which team scores first and which end zone they aim for.
• Each team gets one turn to score, starting from a set point on the opponent’s side of the field.
• The play clock runs normally. There is no game clock, and all play is untimed.
• A team’s turn ends when they score, miss a field goal, or turn over the ball.
• If the score is still tied after the first extra time period, the procedure repeats.

Record and notable extra time games

On two occasions, only two plays were needed to decide an extra time winner in an NCAA football game.

It is possible for a college game to end after one play in extra time if the defense gets the ball back and scores.

As of the beginning of the 2024 season, the Tennessee Volunteers have played in the most extra time college football games.

The college game with the most extra time periods was on October 23, 2021, when Illinois defeated Penn State, 20–18, in nine extra time periods.

Overtime formats

The Kansas System was first used in 1971.

Another type of extra time system was once used by the California Interscholastic Federation. Known as the “California tiebreaker”, it was used in high school football from 1968 through the 1970s and 1980s.

The Louisiana High School Athletic Association did not adopt the Kansas tiebreaker for its playoffs until 1977, as did Texas per the University Interscholastic League and Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools through 1995.

Basketball

In basketball, if the score is tied at the end of the regular game, teams play extra periods of five minutes each to decide a winner. In high school games, these periods are shorter, lasting four minutes. Some leagues use a jump ball to start overtime, while others let teams take turns Possessing the ball.

If the score is still tied after an overtime period, they keep playing more periods until someone wins. Special rules are sometimes used to make sure the game ends quickly, like setting a target score that teams need to reach. This helps make sure every game has a winner.

Ice hockey

Main article: Overtime (ice hockey)

In ice hockey, games sometimes end with the score tied because not many goals are scored. When this happens, some leagues play extra time called overtime to choose a winner.

In the NHL and PWHL during regular season games, if the score is still tied after the normal three 20-minute periods, teams play a short 5-minute overtime period. During this time, each team has fewer players on the ice. If no one scores, the game moves to a shootout where players take turns trying to score alone against the goalie.

In playoff games and important tiebreaker games, teams play longer full 20-minute periods until someone scores, with many games going through several extra periods to find a winner. International tournaments also use different overtime rules, sometimes with longer periods or shootouts to decide the champion.

Handball

In handball, if the score is tied at the end of the game, two extra periods of 5 minutes each are played. If the score is still tied after these extra periods, they play again for another 5 minutes. If the teams are still tied, the winner is decided by a penalty shootout.

Baseball and softball

Main article: Extra innings

In baseball and softball, if the game ends with the scores tied after the usual number of innings, more innings called "extra innings" are played until one team is ahead at the end of an inning. This means that if a team scores in the top half of an inning, the other team gets a chance to score in the bottom half. If they tie the game again, more innings are played.

Some leagues have special rules. For example, in Nippon Professional Baseball, Chinese Professional Baseball League, and the Korea Baseball Organization, games cannot go past 12 innings in some cases. In 2017, some leagues tried a new rule where a runner starts on second base in extra innings to make the game end faster. This rule is now used in Major League Baseball for regular-season games.

Cricket

Main article: Result (cricket) § Tiebreakers

In cricket, sometimes a game can end with both teams having the same score. This is called a tie. Usually this is fine, but sometimes a winner is needed, like in tournaments. One way to decide a winner is called the Super Over. In this extra session, each team gets to play six balls, called an over, to try to score more points than the other team. If the Super Over ends in another tie, sometimes they do another Super Over to find a winner.

Rugby league

See also: Golden point

Rugby league games sometimes have overtime if the scores are tied after the normal 80 minutes. One way to decide the winner is called the golden point. In this system, the first team to score — whether with a try, penalty goal, or field goal — wins the game right away. The golden point period lasts five minutes, then the teams switch sides for another five minutes. If no one scores during these extra periods, the game may end in a draw, or they keep playing until someone scores.

Rugby union

In rugby tournaments like the Rugby World Cup, if the score is tied after the regular game ends, they play two extra periods of 10 minutes each with a short break. If it's still tied, they play one more sudden-death period of 10 minutes. If no one scores, they use a kicking competition to decide the winner. Some leagues have different rules, like counting the number of tries scored.

For example, in a match between Exeter Chiefs and Montpellier in 2023, the score was tied at the end of extra time. They looked at the number of tries scored to decide the winner.

The Super Rugby competition has a special extra-time rule called "Golden Point" (renamed to "Super Point" in 2025). If the score is tied at the end of the game, they play a 10-minute period where the first team to score wins. If it's still tied after that, the game ends in a draw. This rule was first used in a match between the Western Force and Hurricanes on 19 April 2025.

Rugby sevens

In rugby sevens, extra time is only used in important knockout stages of competitions like the Rugby World Cup Sevens, Olympic Games, and Commonwealth Games.

Extra time starts one minute after the regular game ends and is played in several 5-minute periods. In rugby sevens, the first team to score during extra time wins the match right away. If no team scores at the end of a period, the teams switch ends, and this process continues until one team scores.

Other sports

In Australian rules football, if a game ends in a tie during the regular season, it stays a tie. But in important matches called finals, extra time is played. Teams play two short periods, and if it's still tied, they keep playing until someone scores.

In other sports like bowling, gaelic football, and hurling, there are special rules to decide a winner if the game is tied. Some sports use penalty shootouts, while others play extra periods until there's a clear winner. For example, in futsal and water polo, teams play extra time and then may have a penalty shootout if needed. In NASCAR, races can go longer than planned to make sure there's a clear finish.

Longest games

American football

Six National Football League playoff games have had extra time, with the longest on 25 December 1971. The Miami Dolphins beat the Kansas City Chiefs after two extra periods of play. The most recent game with two extra periods was on 12 January 2013, with the Baltimore Ravens winning against the Denver Broncos.

In the former American Football League, a championship game on 23 December 1962 went to two extra periods. The Dallas Texans won with a field goal. Another league had a game that went to three extra periods on 30 June 1984, with the Los Angeles Express winning.

In college football, some games have had many extra periods. On 24 November 2018, Texas A&M beat LSU after seven extra periods. On 23 October 2021, Illinois beat Penn State after nine extra periods.

Association football

Some football competitions used extra time before penalty shoot-outs. A final game in 1977 went to four extra periods, lasting 158 minutes.

A German Championship final in 1922 had to stop after 189 minutes because it got too dark.

Baseball

In the American League, a game on 8 May 1984 went 25 innings. The Chicago White Sox won against the Milwaukee Brewers after 8 hours and 6 minutes of play.

In the National League, a game on 1 May 1926 ended in a tie after 26 innings.

In the 2022 playoffs, the Houston Astros beat the Seattle Mariners in 18 innings, the longest shutout in postseason history.

Basketball

In the Summer Olympics, six games needed two extra periods. In the FIBA Basketball World Cup, a game in 2006 went to three extra periods.

In the NBA, a game on 6 January 1951 went to six extra periods.

Ice hockey

At the 2018 Winter Games, the USA beat Canada in a shootout after one extra period.

In a Norwegian league game on 12 March 2017, Storhamar won after eight extra periods.

Tennis

The Isner–Mahut match at the 2010 Wimbledon Championships was a very long match. It took 11 hours and 5 minutes over three days, with a final score of 6–4, 3–6, 6–7^(7–9), 7–6^(7–3), 70–68. It is the longest match in tennis history.

Summary

In many sports, if the score is tied at the end of regular time, there is an extra period called overtime or extra time to decide the winner. This extra time is used especially in tournaments where one team must move forward, and playing again is not allowed. The length of overtime is usually measured in minutes unless stated differently.