Sudden Death
A tie-breaking format in which the next score immediately ends the contest in favour of the side that scores.
Definition
Sudden death is an overtime or play-off method in which, once it begins, the first team or player to score wins instantly and play stops. It resolves ties quickly without playing out a fixed additional period, and it heightens tension because a single mistake can decide the result.
Specific versions have their own names: "golden goal" (a scored goal ends the match) and "golden point" (used in rugby league and futsal extra time) are sudden-death rules, and a penalty shoot-out becomes sudden death after both sides have taken their initial kicks. In golf and other stroke sports, a sudden-death play-off sees players continue hole by hole until one outscores the other. It contrasts with formats that always complete a full extra period before comparing scores.
Where you’ll hear “sudden death”
Sports that use this term:
Football
The world’s most popular team sport — endless running, teamwork and community in one game.
Ice Hockey
A fast team sport on ice that combines skating skill with quick passing and goal-scoring.
Golf
A precision target sport played across an outdoor course, blending skill, strategy and a long walk in the open air.
Rugby
A physical team sport of carrying, passing and kicking an oval ball toward the opposing line.
How it connects
The meaning-bearing relationships that place Sudden Death in the wider knowledge graph — each one with the reason it exists.
Commonly confused with
Close enough to be mixed up — the distinction is worth knowing.
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Scoring systems
- How golf is scoredGolf counts strokes: the fewest shots taken to complete a hole or a round wins, with par providing the reference every score is described against.
- Padel scoringPadel borrows tennis scoring, counting points as 15–30–40 within games and playing sets to six games decided by a tiebreak.
Positions
- Goal attackThe goal attack is a versatile netball attacker who both feeds the shooter and scores goals, moving through the centre and attacking thirds.
- Goal shooterThe goal shooter is a netball attacker who scores goals and is one of only two players allowed to shoot, working within the attacking goal third and circle.
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How this page is maintained
- Content type
- Term
- Provenance
- Tier A — evergreen educational
- Verified external sources
- 0
- Content updated
- 2026-09-01
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