Here’s how extra time works at the World Cup.

Tie games are inevitable at the World Cup, especially in the later stages when the stakes rise and the sinews stretch.

But in the knockout stages, every game must produce a winner. That means if a game is tied after 90 minutes, it will go to extra time. Here’s how it works.

After a short break, the teams will play two 15-minute extra periods, including any minutes of added time the officials deem necessary. There is no sudden death: Both periods are played to their conclusion, regardless of how many goals are scored (or not).

If the teams are still tied after extra time, they go to a penalty kick shootout.

In that, a coin flip decides which side goes first. The teams then pick five penalty takers, and they alternate attempts until a winner is determined. That can take as few as three rounds of attempts — if, for example one team converts its first three and its opponent misses all three — or as many as … well … as many as it takes.

That can sometimes take a while, and the longer it goes, the more fun it gets.

Except for the people involved.