Despite some people believing so, Golden Goal is not used at the 2026 FIFA World Cup and never has been.
We have reached the knockout stages of the tournament, where some games have already gone the distance.
Morocco beat The Netherlands on penalties while Paraguay pulled off a major shock by beating Germany in a shootout.
However, this was not settled by the Golden Goal rule, which hasn’t been used in over 20 years.
What are the extra-time rules at the 2026 FIFA World Cup?
The rules of extra-time are very similar to the ones we see used in competitions like the Champions League.
If both sides can’t be separated after 90 minutes they will then play an extra 30 minutes of football.
This will be split into two 15-minute halves, and if the score is still tied after 120 minutes, it goes to a penalty shootout.
What is the Golden Goal rule?
Golden Goal is used as a way to decide a knockout tournament game that ends in a draw after 90 minutes.
While it sticks to the traditional method of two 15-minute halves, the first goal of the game scored instantly ends the match. In normal extra-time, you would still play 120 minutes regardless.
For example, if the USA and Bosnia were drawing 1-1 going into extra-time and then Christian Pulisic scored in the 97th minute, the game would end instantly.
FIFA ultimately abandoned the concept after teams became too defensive and wouldn’t attack.
