A penalty shoot-out (officially kicks from the penalty mark) is a method of determining the winner of an association football (soccer) match that cannot end in a draw but where the score is tied after the regulation playing time as well as extra time (if used) have expired. In a penalty shoot-out, each team takes turns attempting a specified number of shots on the goal from the penalty mark (5 in FIFA-governed football) that are defended only by the opposing team's goalkeeper, with the team that makes more successful kicks being declared the winner of the match. Balls successfully kicked into the goal during a shoot-out do not count as goals for the individual kickers or the team, and are tallied separately from the goals scored during normal play (including extra time, if any). Although the procedure for each individual kick in the shoot-out resembles that of a penalty kick, there are some differences. Most notably, neither the kicker nor any player other than the goalkeeper may play the ball again once it has been kicked.
The penalty shoot-out is one of the three methods of breaking a draw that are currently approved by the International Football Association Board; the others are extra time and the away goals rule (the away goals rule is only used in a two-legged tie), and a shoot-out is usually used only after one or more of the other methods fails to produce a winner. The method of breaking a draw for a specific match is determined beforehand by the match organizing body. In FIFA-sanctioned competitions and most professional level competitions, two 15-minute extra time periods are played if the score is tied at the end of regulation time, and a shoot-out is held if the score is still tied after the extra time periods. Matches sanctioned by other entities may vary the quantity or duration of extra time periods or forgo extra time altogether (i.e., proceed directly to a shoot-out after regulation time expires), and/or may implement golden goal (sudden death) or silver goal rules during extra time.
Although employed in football commonly since the 1970s, penalty shoot-outs remain unpopular with some, due primarily to their perceived reliance on luck rather than skill.