The Soccer Tournament (TST) is making an awaited return in 2025 after two editions in 2023 and 2024. The globally celebrated 7v7 competition is back for a third straight year, bigger, bolder, and bursting with talent.
In short, Target Score Time is a unique and exciting rule designed to ensure every match ends with a dramatic, game-winning goal. Popularized by TST, this rule changes how extra time works, making games more thrilling for both players and fans. Here’s a breakdown of what Target Score Time is, how it works, and why it’s become a defining feature of the 7v7 soccer tournament.
GOAL brings you everything you need to know.
What Is Target Score Time?
Target Score Time is a special rule that guarantees every TST match ends on a game-winning goal. Once the full-time whistle blows and regulation time ends, a Target Score is set. This Target Score is calculated by taking the leading team’s score and adding one. For example, if the score is 3-2 at the end of regular time, the Target Score would be 4. The match then continues into an untimed final phase known as Target Score Time, where play continues until one of the two teams reaches that score.
Unlike traditional overtime or penalty shootouts, this format eliminates the clock and places all the focus on scoring the winning goal. The game does not end until a team hits the Target Score, ensuring a dramatic, high-stakes finish every time.
How Target Score Time Works in TST Matches
During Target Score Time, there is no game clock. Teams continue playing until someone reaches the Target Score, regardless of how long it takes. To increase the intensity and open up the field, one player from each team is removed every three minutes during this phase. This creates more space, faster transitions, and more scoring chances as the match progresses. The reduction in players adds pressure and excitement, often leading to thrilling finishes and spectacular goals.
This format encourages attacking play and ensures there is no anticlimactic ending. There are no draws, no games settled solely by penalties, and no running out the clock. Every match ends with a decisive goal that sparks celebration or heartbreak. It also rewards the team that leads in regulation, since their target score is just one goal higher, giving them a clearer path to victory.
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