Golden goal

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The golden goal is a rule used in association football, rugby league, lacrosse, field hockey, and ice hockey to decide the winner of a match (typically a knock-out match) in which scores are equal at the end of normal time. It is a type of sudden death. Under this rule, the game ends when a goal or point is scored; the team that scores that goal or point during extra time is the winner. Introduced formally in 1993, though with some history before that, the rule ceased to apply to most FIFA-authorized football games in 2004. The similar silver goal supplemented the golden goal between 2002 and 2004.

The golden goal used to be played in all NCAA matches up to 2021"PROP approves changes to soccer overtime rules". ncaa.com. National Collegiate Athletic Association. 22 April 2022. Retrieved 15 September 2024. The NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel during a virtual meeting Wednesday approved changes to overtime rules in men's and women's soccer for both the regular season and the postseason, effective for the 2022 season. , and has been used in postseason matches since 2024Johnson, Greg (18 April 2024). "Substitution rules changes approved for DI men's soccer". ncaa.com. National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved 15 September 2024. The sudden-victory (golden goal) overtime format will be used in postseason play.. It is still used in FIH sanctioned field hockey games. A related concept, the golden point, is used in National Rugby League games. A similar golden goal rule is also used in all National Hockey League (NHL) overtime games (followed by a shootout if needed, in the regular season and preseason); however, the term "golden goal" is not used. A rule similar to the golden goal also applies in National Football League regular season games (only if a touchdown or safety is scored, or any score on any possession after the first possession unless both teams score a field goal in the first two possessions then the game becomes true sudden death), although again the term itself is not used.