Do Euro 2020 games have extra time?

Euro 2020 extra time
(Image credit: PA)

Euro 2020 matches will feature extra time if the scores are level after 90 minutes, but only in the knockout stage.

As the name suggests, Euro 2020 was supposed to be held last year, but the coronavirus pandemic forced UEFA to postpone the tournament for 12 months.

The action is set to get under way on June 11, with 24 nations competing in a pan-continental tournament held in 11 different cities.

The 24 teams have been split into six groups of four. Each side will play the three others in their group, with the top two automatically advancing to the round of 16.

The four best third-place finishers will also qualify for the knockout stage, which means only eight of the 24 participants will be eliminated in the group phase.

There will be no extra time in the group stage, where a draw will result in each team collecting one point.

From the round of 16 onwards, an additional 30 minutes of extra time will be played if there is nothing separating the sides after 90 minutes.

If the scores are still level after 120 minutes, a penalty shoot-out will determine the winner.

The full 30 minutes of extra time will always be played, with FIFA and UEFA having ditched innovations such as the golden goal and the silver goal.

The golden goal was used at Euro 1996 and Euro 2000. Any goal scored in extra time automatically ended the game, with the scoring team emerging victorious.

The silver goal was used at Euro 2004. A goal in the first period of extra time would settle the game unless an equaliser was scored before the end of the first 15-minute half.

Five matches at Euro 2016 featured extra time. Poland and Switzerland drew 1-1 in the last 16, before the Poles won the penalty shoot-out.

In the same round, Portugal overcame Croatia thanks to a goal from Ricardo Quaresma in extra time.

Portugal and Poland could still not be separated after extra time in the quarter-finals, with Portugal triumphing on penalties. Germany also required a shoot-out to edge out Italy and reach the semi-finals.

In the final, a goal from Eder in extra time gave Portugal a 1-0 victory over France.

FourFourTwo Staff

FourFourTwo was launched in 1994 on the back of a World Cup that England hadn’t even qualified for. It was an act of madness… but it somehow worked out. Our mission is to offer our intelligent, international audience access to the game’s biggest names, insightful analysis... and a bit of a giggle. We unashamedly love this game and we hope that our coverage reflects that.