A football penalty shootout normally gives each team five alternating kicks. It ends earlier if one side cannot catch the other, or continues into sudden death if the scores remain level after five kicks each. In sudden death, a winner is decided only when one team leads after both have taken the same number of kicks.
These are the rules in IFAB Law 10, which governs how a match winner is determined. A shootout takes place after the match has ended. It is distinct from a penalty awarded during play, and it does not give the taker a normal opportunity to follow up a saved kick.
| Situation | What happens |
|---|---|
| Opening sequence | Up to five alternating kicks per team |
| Uncatchable lead | The shootout stops before all ten kicks |
| Level after five each | Sudden death, compared after equal numbers of kicks |
| Repeat taker | Every eligible player must take a kick first |
| Accidental immediate double touch | A goal is retaken; a kick that does not enter is recorded as missed |
How many penalties are taken in a shootout?
Five each is the opening allocation, not a promise that ten kicks will always happen. Suppose Team A has converted its first three and Team B has missed its first three. Team B can score only twice from its remaining allocation, so Team A's lead cannot be caught. The referee ends the shootout at that point.
If both teams complete five kicks and the scores are equal, each subsequent pair matters. If the first team scores its sixth kick, the second team still gets its sixth. Only after that reply can the score produce a winner. A missed opening kick in sudden death therefore does not by itself end the contest.
Each kick in a sequence must be taken by a different eligible player. All eligible players must take one before anybody takes a second. If the contest reaches another sequence, a team can change its order. The scorer of the first kick does not have to be the first repeat taker.
Who can take penalties, and what happens after a red card?
Eligibility generally belongs to players on the field at the end of the match, including those temporarily off it for a reason such as injury or an equipment adjustment. A player sent off during the match cannot return for the shootout. The goalkeeper replacement provisions create a specific exception to the ordinary eligibility rule.
If one team has more players than its opponent at the end of the match, or before or during the kicks, it must reduce its eligible numbers to match. It must tell the referee which players are excluded. This prevents one side from rotating through a larger group while the other has fewer eligible takers.
Warnings and cautions from the match are not carried into the shootout. That does not reverse a dismissal: a player who has already been sent off remains ineligible. Nor does it prevent disciplinary action during the kicks. The law allows cautions and sendings off in the shootout itself.
Can the goalkeeper be changed during penalties?
An eligible player can swap places with the goalkeeper. A goalkeeper who cannot continue may also be replaced by a player excluded to equalise numbers, or by a named substitute if the team still has an unused substitution available. The replaced goalkeeper then takes no further part and cannot take a kick.
There is a further restriction if that goalkeeper has already taken a penalty: the replacement cannot take one until the next sequence of kicks. A goalkeeper who is sent off must be replaced by an eligible player. An outfield player who becomes unable to continue cannot simply be replaced under the goalkeeper exception.
What is the double touch rule for penalties in 2026?
Law 10 addresses an accidental kick with both feet at once, or immediate contact with the non-kicking foot or leg. If that kick enters the goal, it is retaken. If it does not enter, it is recorded as missed. These outcomes concern that specific accidental immediate contact, rather than permission to play the ball again after a save.
IFAB's 28 February 2026 rules announcement says the 2026/27 laws incorporate its earlier clarification on accidental double touches. The edition took effect on 1 July 2026, with earlier implementation available to competitions starting before that date. A shootout kick is complete when the ball stops, leaves play or the referee stops it for an offence; the taker cannot deliberately play it a second time.
For other decisions that interrupt a football match, our guides explain offside and delayed flags and handball and penalties. Readers comparing how different sports settle close decisions can also use our cricket DRS explainer.
