In a penalty shootout, each team has five shots and the team that makes more successful kicks is declared the victor. The fifth penalty is often seen as the most important one, as it can be the most decisive.

While a penalty kick is awarded in response to a foul, a penalty shootout occurs to determine the winner of a tied match. This applies after the two periods of the match have ended, the extra time has also been played, and the match is part of a knockout round - in other words, a match that cannot end in a tie.