How a penalty shoot-out actually works
Kicks from the penalty mark under the 2026/27 Laws, in procedure order: who is eligible, the two coin tosses, reduce-to-equate, the alternating kicks and early finish, sudden death, and how Law 14 applies during the shoot-out.
Why this wins its question: Explains the mechanics people argue about at 1 a.m. — early finishes, reduce-to-equate, who may kick — in the procedure order of the 2026/27 Law 10 text, with Law 14 kick mechanics cross-bound.
Key takeaways
- Only players on the field at the final whistle may kick, and teams reduce to equate.
- The shoot-out ends early once the arithmetic is settled.
- Sudden death continues one kick each until one side leads after equal kicks.
- Each kick follows Law 14, including the goalkeeper one-foot-on-line rule.
Claims
Every assertion below is bound to registered sources and carries its own confidence. Weight them; do not treat the page as uniformly authoritative.
Only players on the field of play, or temporarily off it with the referee's permission (injury, equipment adjustment), at the end of the match are eligible; a team with more eligible players than its opponent must reduce to the same number before and during the shoot-out.
The referee tosses a coin to choose the goal (unless conditions or safety dictate) and tosses again for kick order, with the toss winner deciding whether to kick first or second.
Teams alternate kicks for five each, but the shoot-out ends early once one team has scored more goals than the other could reach with its remaining kicks; if level after five, it continues one kick each in sudden death until one team leads after an equal number.
No eligible player takes a second kick until every eligible team-mate has taken a first, and all eligible players except the kicker and the two goalkeepers must remain in the centre circle.
Each kick follows Law 14 mechanics: stationary ball on the mark, forward kick, and the goalkeeper keeping part of one foot touching, in line with, or behind the goal line when the ball is kicked.
How a penalty shoot-out actually works
Kicks from the penalty mark are not "penalties until someone misses". They are a procedure with an eligibility gate, two coin tosses, and an arithmetic early exit.
Who may kick
Only players who were on the field at the final whistle — or temporarily off it with the referee's permission, such as for an injury — are eligible. Substituted players are not. If one team finishes with more eligible players (an opponent was sent off, say), it must reduce to equate: drop players until both teams have the same number, and tell the referee who was removed.
Before the first kick
The referee tosses a coin twice. The first toss picks the goal (unless safety or pitch conditions decide it). The second picks order: the winning captain chooses whether to kick first or second. Everyone except the current kicker and the two goalkeepers waits in the centre circle.
The five-kick phase
Teams alternate. Five kicks each is the frame, but the shoot-out ends the moment the arithmetic is settled: once a team leads by more goals than the other could still score with its remaining kicks, it is over. 3-0 after three kicks each ends it.
Sudden death
Level after five? One kick each, same order discipline, until one team leads after an equal number of kicks. Nobody kicks twice until every eligible team-mate — goalkeepers included — has kicked once.
The kick itself
Each kick is a Law 14 penalty: ball stationary on the mark, kicked forward, and the goalkeeper must have part of one foot touching, in line with, or behind the goal line when the ball is struck.