What Does ET1 Mean in Soccer?

Eric DawsonByEric Dawson Sports

If you’re asking, “what does ET1 mean in soccer?” it means the first 15-minute half of extra time. It appears when a match that needs a winner is tied after 90 minutes of regulation play.

Extra time lasts 30 minutes and is split into ET1 and ET2, each scheduled for 15 minutes, with added time possible for stoppages. A goal during ET1 does not end the match automatically: teams complete both extra-time halves. If the score remains level after ET2, the match normally goes to a penalty shootout.

What Does ET1 Mean in Soccer?

On a scoreboard, broadcast graphic, or live match tracker, the label tells viewers that the game has moved beyond regulation and is in the opening extra-time period.

Extra time is used when a competition needs a winner after the teams are level at the end of normal time. Rather than indicating a score or team name, ET1 identifies the stage of the match: the first of two extra-time halves. Each half is scheduled for 15 minutes, making the full extra-time phase 30 minutes before any penalty shootout.

ET1 on a Soccer Scoreboard

A scoreboard using ET1 separates extra time from the two halves of regulation. Normal time consists of two 45-minute halves, while ET1 begins only after those 90 minutes have finished level in a match that cannot end as a draw. Broadcasters and match services may use different display formats, but ET refers to extra time and ET1 points to its first period.

Stoppage time is a different part of the game. Added time accounts for interruptions such as injuries, substitutions, and lengthy goal celebrations at the end of a half, whereas ET1 is a distinct extra-time phase. Delays during the first extra-time half can also lead to added time before the interval.

ET1 vs ET2 in Soccer

After ET1, teams take a brief interval, change ends, and begin ET2, the second 15-minute extra-time half. Goals scored during ET1 do not end the match automatically under the current World Cup format, so both periods are played in full. If one team leads after ET2, it wins the knockout match; otherwise, the usual tiebreak procedure applies.

When a Match Goes to Extra Time

A match moves to extra time only when it is level after 90 minutes and the competition requires a winner. Knockout rounds commonly use that process, while many league and group-stage matches may finish as draws.

League competitions using the standard points system typically award one point to each team for a draw, compared with three points for a win. By contrast, elimination ties cannot remain level because one side must advance or claim the title. For that reason, a tie after regulation can trigger the competition’s extra-time procedure.

At the 2026 FIFA World Cup, that procedure applies from the Round of 32 through the final, including the Round of 16, quarterfinals, semifinals, and third-place match. Group Stage games can end level, so they do not move into extra time. Once the knockout phase begins, however, a match tied at the end of regulation continues beyond normal time rather than being recorded as a draw.

Before any decision about extra time, the referee completes the two regular 45-minute halves and any added time required for interruptions. Because added time belongs to the half in which it is played, a match has not entered extra time simply because the clock has passed 45 or 90 minutes. Only after regulation and its added time end level does a decisive match progress to the next phase.

After extra time starts, soccer extra time rules provide two 15-minute halves, with an interval and change of ends between them. If still tied, a penalty shootout determines the winner.

Penalty takers alternate kicks, with up to five attempts per team in the initial sequence; an insurmountable lead ends it early, while an equal score after five each sends the shootout to sudden death. Thereafter, one kick per team is taken in each round until one scores and the other misses; at the World Cup, a coin toss determines which team shoots first.

How Long Is ET1 in Soccer?

ET1 lasts 15 minutes of playing time and forms the opening half of extra time. Added time may carry play beyond that 15-minute mark when interruptions occur, so elapsed time can be longer than the scheduled period. Its length is measured as playing time, not as an uninterrupted 15 minutes on a wall clock.

Extra time as a whole lasts 30 minutes and contains two 15-minute halves. ET1 on a soccer scoreboard therefore marks the first segment, while ET2 marks the second, rather than a continuation of the second half of regulation. Normal regulation has 45-minute halves, a separate structure from the two shorter extra-time halves. Unlike stoppage time, which is added to a half to account for pauses in play, ET1 is a distinct phase with its own 15-minute allotment.

Referees can add stoppage time at the end of ET1 for interruptions such as injuries, substitutions, and lengthy delays. That addition is why a broadcast clock or live tracker can show a point beyond 15 minutes before ET1 finishes. Play ends only when the referee ends the period, not automatically when the clock reaches 15 minutes. Delays can arise within either extra-time half, meaning the same added-time principle applies again in ET2.

Following ET1, teams change ends and have a brief break before ET2 begins. No penalty shootout takes place at that point because the second 15-minute half remains part of the same extra-time phase. Goals do not end ET1 early under the current World Cup format, since the match continues through both halves regardless of how many times either team scores. A team that takes the lead in the first half can still score again, concede, or see the score change after the restart.

This timing is useful for reading a match display: ET1 indicates the first extra-time half, even when added time makes the on-screen minute count higher than 15. Once the interval ends, ET2 begins and completes the 30-minute extra-time period. If the teams are still level after ET2, a penalty shootout determines the winner for the match.

ET1 vs ET2 Soccer Labels

ET2 follows ET1 after the teams change ends, and neither label refers to normal-time halves. Added time, sometimes called stoppage or injury time, is different because it is time added for interruptions within a half rather than a separate match phase.

By comparison, ET is the broader abbreviation for extra time as a whole. Standard match reporting can use ET when play has moved beyond regulation, while a live tracker may use ET1 or ET2 to show which extra-time half is underway. AET, also written as a.e.t., means “after extra time” and appears alongside a final score to show that the result was settled after the full extra-time phase.

Label What It Means Where It Applies
ET Extra time The overall additional phase used when a tied match needs a winner
ET1 First half of extra time The opening extra-time period
ET2 Second half of extra time The period played after the interval following ET1
Stoppage time Time added for delays At the end of a regulation or extra-time half
AET After extra time A final-result label in match reports

For readers checking an ET1 soccer scoreboard, the key point is that the match has moved beyond the standard 90 minutes. During ET1, the score can change without ending the contest immediately under the current World Cup format. That differs from the former golden-goal rule, under which the first extra-time goal ended the match at once.

Match reports use AET to make the final sequence clearer after extra time has finished. A result recorded as 2-1 AET means the winning margin was established during extra time rather than during regulation alone. Context matters because “full time” can describe the end of normal time in some settings or the end of the entire match after extra time in others.

When ET1 ends, play continues into ET2 rather than going straight to penalties. Goals scored in either extra-time half count toward the match score, so a team can lead after ET1 and still concede or score again before extra time is complete. Penalties become relevant only if the teams remain level after ET2 in a competition that requires a winner.

World Cup match reporting offers a familiar example of the distinction between ET and AET. Argentina and France were level at 3-3 after extra time in the 2022 World Cup final, before Argentina won 4-2 in the penalty shootout. Modern score labels therefore separate the extra-time periods from the shootout, which is a separate tie-break procedure rather than a third extra-time half.

What Happens After ET1?

The second extra-time half must be played before a knockout match can be decided by a shootout. Any added time required for delays at the end of the first period is completed before that interval begins. Teams then return for the remaining 15 minutes of extra time, with added time possible again if play is delayed.

A lead during ET1 does not end the contest under current World Cup extra-time rules. Unlike the former golden-goal system, scoring first in extra time no longer produces an immediate victory. Both sides continue playing through ET2, so the trailing team has time to equalize and the leading team can extend its advantage. That format explains why a live score can change more than once after the first extra-time goal.

Competition rules can permit an additional substitute in extra time, and unused substitutes or substitution opportunities may also be used there. Changes made in the break before extra time or at its half-time do not count as used substitution opportunities under the stated Law 3 provisions. Coaches therefore manage ET2 with fatigue, tactics, and the possibility of penalties in mind, subject to the competition’s substitution rules.

Once the second period ends, the score determines the next step. If one team is ahead after the full extra-time phase, it wins the knockout match. Beyond that, if the teams remain tied after the full 30 minutes of extra time, the match goes to a penalty shootout.

Each side can take up to five alternating kicks, although the shootout ends sooner when a lead cannot be overcome. If the score is still tied after five kicks each, sudden death follows.

Penalty sudden death is separate from the old extra-time golden-goal concept. It applies only after the initial shootout sequence is tied, not when a goal is scored in ET1 or ET2. For that reason, what happens after ET1 is always the same basic progression: interval, ET2, then either a winner after extra time or a shootout if the tie remains level at the final whistle.

How Penalty Shootouts Decide a Tie

Each team takes alternating kicks from the penalty mark until one side wins under the shootout rules.

Both teams can take up to five kicks in the opening sequence, although the shootout can end before all five attempts are taken if one team has built an insurmountable lead. Before the kicks begin, only the 11 players on the field at the end of extra time may take part.

How the Opening Shootout Works

At the World Cup, every eligible player, including the goalkeeper, must take a penalty before any player can take a second attempt. Goalkeepers must remain on the goal line until the ball is kicked, though they may move from side to side. Players cannot fake a kick after beginning the run-up and must continue forward to strike the ball.

  1. First, one team takes a kick from the penalty mark.
  2. Then, the other team takes its kick, and the sides continue alternating attempts.
  3. If one side gains a lead that cannot be overcome with the remaining scheduled kicks, the shootout ends early.
  4. Once both teams have taken five kicks, their shootout scores determine whether a winner has been found.

An equal score after five kicks each sends the shootout into sudden death. Sudden death follows the same alternating pattern. That sudden-death rule applies to penalties, not to the extra-time periods themselves.

The 2022 World Cup final offers a familiar example of this process. Brazil beat Italy 3-2 on penalties in the 1994 final after a scoreless extra-time period. Italy then defeated France 5-3 in a 2006 final shootout after the match finished 1-1 following extra time.

Extra Time Rules and World Cup Examples

Group-stage matches can finish level, but knockout games require a winner after regulation. Beginning in the Round of 32 reflects the expanded 48-team format; the previous 32-team tournament began extra time in the Round of 16.

Unlike the former golden-goal format, a World Cup goal in ET1 does not end the contest immediately. Both extra-time halves are played in full, so an early lead can still change before the 30-minute phase ends.

Added time may also extend either 15-minute period for delays. Between those halves, teams change ends after a brief break. Consequently, ET1 on a soccer scoreboard signals a phase, not a final ruling.

Competition rules may permit an additional substitute in extra time, beyond the normal allocation, and an additional substitution opportunity where that substitute is allowed. Players and coaches therefore manage the closing stages differently from a 90-minute match, especially when a tie could continue through ET2. Those rules concern the match itself, rather than the separate shootout that may follow. Officials apply the competition’s substitution provisions, so the exact allowance can vary by tournament.

Golden-goal rules were used at the 1998 and 2002 World Cups, meaning the first extra-time scorer won at once. IFAB abolished that rule in 2004, establishing the full two-period approach used in the modern tournament.

Silver goal also had a short life, appearing at UEFA Euro 2004 for one year. That change separated extra-time play from shootout sudden death as a method of deciding ties. Modern matches therefore retain both scheduled periods before any tie-break when scores stay level.

Earlier World Cup finals settled that way were Brazil’s 3-2 win over Italy in 1994 after scoreless extra time and Italy’s 5-3 victory over France in 2006 after a 1-1 extra-time draw. West Germany’s 1982 semifinal win over France, 5-4 on penalties after 3-3, was the first World Cup match decided by a shootout.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does ET1 Mean the First Half of Extra Time?

ET1 means the first half of extra time in a soccer match. Extra time has two 15-minute periods, with ET1 followed by ET2 when a tied match needs a winner after 90 minutes.

Is ET1 the Same as Stoppage Time?

Unlike stoppage time, also called added time or injury time, ET1 is a separate period. Officials add stoppage time to the end of a half for interruptions such as injuries, substitutions, and lengthy goal celebrations. Instead, ET1 is a separate 15-minute period played after regulation ends level in a match that requires a winner.

How Many Minutes Is ET1 in Soccer?

Each ET1 period is scheduled for 15 minutes of play. Stoppages can lead to added time at the end of ET1, so ET1 may extend beyond its scheduled 15 minutes in elapsed time.

Do Teams Go Straight to Penalties After ET1?

Teams do not go to penalties after ET1 alone. They take a brief interval, switch sides, and play ET2, the second 15-minute half of extra time. A penalty shootout follows only if the score remains level after the full 30 minutes of extra time.

What Does AET Mean in a Soccer Result?

AET means “after extra time.” A result marked AET shows that the final score includes the outcome of the two extra-time periods rather than ending after 90 minutes of regulation play.

Can a Team Use an Extra Substitute in Extra Time?

A team may use unused substitutes or substitution opportunities during extra time. Competition rules can also permit one additional substitute and one additional substitution opportunity in extra time. The exact substitution rules depend on the competition.

ET1 is the opening 15-minute half of extra time, used after a knockout match finishes level following 90 minutes of regulation play. It differs from added time, which accounts for delays within a half. Once ET1 ends, teams play ET2 before any penalty shootout can begin. AET, meanwhile, is a result label that shows a match was decided after the full extra-time phase.

References

Sources read in September 2026.

Eric Dawson

I'm Eric Dawson, and I write The Money Watch from north Columbus, Ohio. Most of what I cover comes from my own life: renting, a 2014 Honda Fit, parking, computers, food and the bills behind all of it. I spent four years in an apartment-property office and eleven on a distributor's operations desk, reading leases and invoices. Where you need real information, I research the maker's or agency's own page and independent sources and report what they publish. I don't give tax, investment, legal or medical advice.