Golden goal

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The golden goal is a sports rule used in association football, Australian rules football, bandy, field hockey, ice hockey, lacrosse, and rugby league to decide the winner of a match (typically a knock-out match) in which scores are equal at the end of regular 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 was played in NCAA soccer matches up to 2021, was eliminated in 2022, and then reinstated for post-season play in 2024.^[1] 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.