Penalty shootout rules
A penalty shootout, which the Laws of the Game call kicks from the penalty mark, settles a knockout game that's still level after the match (and extra time, if it's played). These are the rules from the Laws, and what people mean by ABBA and sudden death.
By Squadcard. Last updated .
In short
- Each team takes five kicks, taken alternately.
- If one team can't catch up, the shootout stops early.
- Still level after five each, it goes to sudden death: one kick each until one scores and the other doesn't.
- Only players on the pitch at the end can take a kick, and both teams must have the same number.
- ABBA was a trial that changed which team kicks first in each pair; the Laws still say the kicks alternate.
How a shootout works
- Five each: both teams take five kicks, taken alternately.
- Ending early: if one team has scored more than the other could reach with all its kicks left, it's over.
- Sudden death: level after five each, the kicks carry on, one each, until one team has scored a goal more than the other from the same number of kicks.
- Who can kick: only players on the pitch, or temporarily off it, at the end of the match.
- Equal numbers: a team with more eligible players than the other must leave some out to match, and tell the referee who.
- Keepers: any eligible player can swap with the keeper, and an injured keeper can be replaced.
What ABBA means
In the normal order, team A always kicks first in each pair: A B, A B, A B. ABBA swaps who goes first each pair: A B, B A, A B, B A. The idea, according to UEFA's description of the trial, was to take away the advantage of always kicking first. It was trialled at UEFA's under-17 finals in 2017. The Laws of the Game today still say only that the kicks are taken alternately.
Penalties in your own games
In a friends' tournament, three kicks each and then sudden death keeps things moving. The tournament generator handles the knockout, and if you'd rather practise against a keeper on your phone, there's a daily penalty shootout game.
Take today's penaltiesQuestions
How many penalties are taken in a shootout?
Five per team, taken alternately. If it's still level, it goes to sudden death, one kick each.
What is sudden death in penalties?
After five kicks each with the scores level, each team takes one more kick at a time until one team has scored more than the other from the same number of kicks.
What is the ABBA penalty system?
An order where the team kicking first swaps every pair (A B, B A, A B…). It was trialled at UEFA's under-17 finals in 2017; the Laws still say the kicks alternate.
Can a substitute take a penalty in a shootout?
No, only players on the pitch, or temporarily off it, at the end of the match. The exception is a substitute replacing an injured goalkeeper.