why do they add extra time in soccer becomes a live question once a World Cup knockout match reaches 90 minutes level. In that phase, teams do not share the result; they get 30 more minutes, then penalties if the score is still tied.
Pierluigi Collina and added time
Stoppage time is separate from extra time. It is added to every regulation half to make up for minutes lost to substitutions, goal celebrations, time-wasting, injured players receiving treatment and, as of this World Cup, hydration breaks. After 45 minutes, the fourth official raises an electronic board with the minimum number of added minutes, and that total can grow if more delays happen.
At the 2022 World Cup, FIFA’s referee chief Pierluigi Collina instructed officials to add on more time than usual, and matches averaged more than 100 minutes. That shift pushed games deeper into the game clock before extra time even began.
Lionel Messi in Qatar
The 2022 World Cup final showed how the system works at its most extreme. Argentina and France finished 2-2 after 90 minutes in Qatar, then extra time produced more goals. Lionel Messi scored his second goal of the game in the 108th minute, Kylian Mbappe converted a penalty 10 minutes later, and Randal Kolo Muani was denied a winner by an Emiliano Martinez save.
That final still needed the full 120 minutes before penalties would have decided it if the tie had remained level. The rule exists because knockout matches must produce a winner on the day, while group-stage matches can end level on points and do not need extra time or penalties.
World Cup knockout stage rules
The extra-time period is split into two 15-minute halves, with the teams swapping sides at the midway point. Each side also gets an extra substitution for extra time, so six changes can be made across the eventual 120-minute match.
If the score is still tied after those 30 minutes, the match goes to penalties. Five players from each side take an initial five spot kicks, and if that finishes level, the shootout becomes sudden death. The first team to score when the other side misses wins and moves on.
For the 2026 World Cup, the sequence is simple for teams in the knockout stage: 90 minutes, then 30 minutes of extra time, then penalties if needed. That is the path to a winner when the bracket cannot allow a draw.
