Why can a soccer game end in a tie?
In soccer, a draw is a normal, accepted result. If the score is level after 90 minutes in league or World Cup group play, the game simply ends tied and each team takes one point. American sports use overtime to force a winner; soccer only does that in knockout rounds, where extra time and penalties break the tie.
- 1If scores are level at full time, the match is drawn — a legitimate result under the Laws of the Game[1]
- 2In the World Cup group stage, a draw earns each team 1 point; a win earns 3[2]
- 3Only in knockout matches must there be a winner: 30 minutes of extra time, then a penalty shootout[1]
- 4Most American team sports instead use overtime formats designed to avoid ties[3]
Ties are part of soccer's DNA.
For most of the sport — domestic leagues and the World Cup group stage — a game level at 90 minutes just ends as a draw. Both teams shake hands and, in the group stage, each pockets one point. It's not a failure or a glitch; managing a hard-earned 0–0 against a strong side can be a smart result.
Americans often find this strange because the NFL, NBA and MLB are engineered to produce a winner, leaning on overtime or extra innings. Soccer only adopts that mindset when a single winner is required — the knockout rounds.
So at the World Cup you'll see both worlds: draws are fine from June 11 through the group stage, but from the round of 32 onward, a tie triggers 30 minutes of extra time and, if needed, the drama of a penalty shootout.
In the NBA you play overtime until someone wins; MLB plays extra innings. Soccer's group stage is more like an early-season standings race where ties are normal and just affect your record — until the playoffs (the knockouts), when soccer finally forces a winner like American sports do.
- IFAB — Law 10: Determining the Outcome of a Match(accessed 2026-06-01)
- FIFA — World Cup 2026 hosts, cities and dates(accessed 2026-06-01)
- NFL — Official Rules (Overtime)(accessed 2026-06-01)