Draw in Soccer: Laws of the Game
What happens if there is a draw in soccer? The beautiful game is the world’s most popular sport, but one part of the game many people aren’t big fans of is when soccer matches end in a draw.
New soccer fans and players of the game may ask themselves why every match doesn’t have a clear winner. Unlike American sports such as the NFL (National Football League) and the NHL (National Hockey League), as well as many others, soccer does not always have a clear winner, depending on the type of match being played.
In this blog, I will explain everything you need to know about one of the most basic but important soccer rules: what happens when soccer games end in a draw.
What is a Draw in Soccer?
In soccer, a draw, or tie, happens when the two teams score the same number of goals during regulation time, or when the match ends scoreless, 0-0. Regulation time for regular-season games is 90 minutes with a 15-minute halftime break, plus stoppage time.
Many leagues around the world, including the Champions League, Premier League, and even Major League Soccer, use a points system to determine league winners. With this point system, each team in the league plays every other team twice, home and away, and a win counts as 3 points, a draw as 1, and a loss as 0.
The team with the most points at the end of the season wins the league. This means that league games can end in a draw, but soccer matches that require a clear winner, such as knockout tournament stages, cannot.
Tournament group-stage games can end in draws since they are based on the point system as well, but in knockout-stage games, if the game is tied after regulation time, it will go into extra time. If there is no clear winner after extra time, then the game will go into a penalty shootout to determine the winner.
Why Ties Exist in Soccer
Most sports prefer a clear winner at the end of the match to make the game more exciting and not diminish its spectacle value. While many fans would be happy with extra time and penalty shootouts after every game, there are some good reasons why that is not always the case.
Soccer is one of the most physically and mentally demanding sports in the world, with players running anywhere from 7 miles per game. Forcing players into extra time and penalty shootouts after every draw will put too much stress on them, which is why these are only used in important games that need clear winners.
During league games that do not need a clear winner, the teams that tie each other settle for one point. This point system can actually make the title races a lot more interesting than if there had to be a clear winner every time.
Soccer Tie-Breaking Rules
Although I mentioned that tournament knockout-stage games cannot end in ties, there are instances in which the group stage of those tournaments, such as the World Cup or Champions League, ends in ties. When this happens, FIFA uses a series of tie-breakers to determine the winners.
The first tiebreaker FIFA considers is the goal difference between the teams, which is the total goals scored by a team across its matches minus the total goals conceded. If there is a tie in goal difference, just the number of goals scored is considered.
If they are still tied, the next tiebreaker is the head-to-head match results of the teams. If teams are still tied after that, FIFA also uses a “fair play” tiebreaker involving disciplinary actions.
These fair-play points come into play when there are ties in groups of major tournaments. For example, when two or more teams finish their group stage games with equal points, goal difference, and goals scored, FIFA uses accumulated disciplinary points as tiebreakers to determine which team advances.
A single yellow card results in -1 point, while two yellows leading to a red card means -3 points. A direct red card carries a -4 point penalty, and more than one caution before getting sent off with another yellow-red combo will be penalized with -5 points.
The team with fewer negative fair-play points would progress further due to better fair play. For example, in the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Group H, two teams, Senegal and Japan, finished with identical points, goal difference, and goals scored. However, Japan advanced to the knockout stage based on their superior fair-play record, having fewer yellow and red cards.
Summary
In soccer, the winner of the match is the team that scores the most goals, but a draw can occur if both teams score the same number of goals or if the match ends goalless. A draw is only allowed during league games, but not during games that need a clear winner, such as tournament knockout-stage games, which will move to extra time and penalty shootouts if needed to determine the winner.
In this blog, I covered everything you need to know about what happens when there is a draw in soccer, whether you are a new soccer fan, player, or simply need a reminder of the rules.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens if a soccer game ends in a draw?
If there is a draw or tie during a soccer game, depending on the type of match being played, different things can happen. During a league game,, both teams will end the match with one point, but in knockout competitions, such as the semi-finals or knockout stages of a tournament like the World Cup or Champions League, the game will go into extra time or overtime.
If both teams fail to win after extra time, the game goes to a penalty shootout. A penalty shootout consists of five penalty kicks per team, and the team to score the most wins.
If both teams are still tied after five penalty kicks, the shootout goes to sudden death, and the first team to miss loses.
What is the golden goal rule?
The golden goal rule is no longer active, but it basically works like this: if both teams are tied after regulation time, the team that scores first in extra time wins the match. There was also a silver goals rule, but that is also not active today.
How many points do you need to win a league title?
The number of points needed to win a league title varies from team to team. In the Premier League, Manchester City have won the league with over 100 points during the 2017-2018 season, while other clubs, such as Leicester City, won the league with 81 points in 2015-2016, and Chelsea FC won the league the following season with 93 points in 2016-2017.
How can I learn more about the game?
To learn more about soccer, the most important thing is to join a team and play the game as much as possible. If possible, analyze high-level games as much as you can and your own games as well by recording them with a soccer camera. Also read soccer books, listen to podcasts and interviews, watch soccer documentaries, as well as some movies, TV shows, and anime.
