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Flag football overtime rules

Most rulebooks have overtime. NFL FLAG, USA Flag, IFAF and college each set their own. Most use extra tries or one series each. The high school book has none, so each state decides. The states here use one try each, or one series each from the 10.

SoCal Fire Elite 13, Lakeview Lady Hawks 13Overtime5 or 10 (1 or 2 points)

Example: NFL FLAG 5v5, girls' youth, NFL FLAG tournament

Tied 13-13 after regulation, the game went to overtime. Each team got one play. One team scored from the 5 for 1 point.

The other went from the 10 for 2, made it, and won 15-14.

Watch how to stat it in the BreakAway app: Logging the extra pointWatch: Logging the extra point (0:39)

Tie games happen, most of all in tournaments. Know the overtime rule before you need it.

Updated · cited to the official rulebooks · Compare every ruleset

By ruleset

What each rulebook says, in our words, with the rule to check it against. A blank cell says why it is blank.

  • NFL FLAG 5v5

    5v5 · Youth leagues and tournaments

    Played in rounds. Round 1: one play each. Go for 1 from the 5 or 2 from the 10. Round 2: you must go for 2. Round 3 on: one play from your own 5, and most yards wins. An interception return is worth 2 and ends round 1 or 2.

    NFL FLAG §VI a-g

    NFL FLAG One-Way Field makes no change here.

  • USA Flag 5's

    5v5 · Leagues and tournaments, all ages

    League: each team gets a drive from midfield. Then come 1-point tries from the 5. Tournament: one play each. Go for 1 from the 5 or 2 from the 10.

    USA Flag 5's R2-1-6; R2-2-3

  • USA Flag 7's

    7v7 · Leagues and tournaments, all ages

    League: each team gets a drive from midfield. Then come 1-point tries from the 5. Tournament: one play each. Go for 1 from the 5 or 2 from the 10.

    USA Flag 7's R2-1-6; R2-2-3

  • NFHS (girls' high school)

    7v7 · Sanctioned high school

    The book has none. A state may pick a way to break ties. Overtime then counts as part of the 4th quarter. Unused 2nd-half timeouts don't carry into it. See the state table below.

    NFHS 3-1-1 NOTE; 3-5-1; Table 1-7 #14

  • Illinois HS (IHSA)

    7v7 · Illinois girls' high school

    One try each: 1 point from the 3 or 2 from the 10. The toss winner picks offense or defense first, or which end. The manual also sends ties to NFHS overtime rules. But the NFHS book has none. The 2025-26 adoptions add 2 rules. An interception ends the play. There is 1 timeout per team each period.

    IHSA manual Clock Procedures 8; VIII.DNFHS 3-1-1 NOTEIHSA item 13

  • IFAF Flag Football

    5v5 · International play

    Each team gets one drive from midfield, with no first down there. Then come 1-point tries from the 5. No timeouts.

    IFAF R3-1-3

  • College Flag Football

    7v7 · College, including NAIA women's

    Each team gets a drive from the other team's 10. From the 3rd overtime on, each side gets a single try from the 3, worth 1 point. One timeout for all of overtime.

    College R3-2-3, R3-2-4

High school: what each state chose

NFHS leaves this to each state association. These are the states whose documents BreakAway has read.

  • California (CIF)

    After a 3-minute break, there is a coin toss with no deferring. Each team starts at the other team's 10 and gets a try after its drive. If still tied, teams take turns with 1 try each from the 3. A team wins when it scores and the other does not. Each team gets 1 timeout for all of overtime. There is no game clock, and the defense can score.

    CIF item 14

  • Illinois (IHSA)

    One try each: 1 point from the 3 or 2 from the 10. The toss winner picks offense or defense first, or which end. The manual also sends ties to NFHS overtime rules, but the book has none. From the 2025-26 list: the visitor calls the toss. An interception ends the play. There is 1 timeout per team each period.

    IHSA manual Clock Procedures 8; VIII.DNFHS 3-1-1 NOTEIHSA item 13

  • North Carolina (NCHSAA)

    One try each: 1 point from the 3 or 2 from the 10. Both go toward the same goal. Repeat until someone wins. The visitor calls the toss. No timeouts, but 1 minute between periods.

    NCHSAA Overtime Regulations 1 to 3

  • Tennessee (TSSAA)

    One try each: 1 point from the 3 or 2 from the 10. Both go toward the same goal. Repeat until someone wins. The home team calls the toss. No timeouts, but 1 minute between periods.

    TSSAA Overtime Regulations 1 to 3

  • Maryland (MPSSAA)

    Each team gets the ball at the 10, with 4 downs to score. After a touchdown, try from the 3 for 1 point or the 10 for 2. The defense may run back an interception or fumble for a touchdown. The visitor calls the toss. 1 timeout per period. Earlier timeouts don't carry over.

    MPSSAA item 15

Stat it in BreakAway

From 5v5 and 7v7 to NFL FLAG and your own house rules, if you play it, BreakAway can stat it. See how rulesets work

Who it's for

In the glossary

Pick your ruleset. Stat the game.

Start from a curated list of presets. Change any rule for your team, league or tournament. Field and downs, how the game's organized, scoring, punts and turnovers, overtime. Saved to your team for the next game. Tap to use it and you're ready to stat. Real stats, generated as you go.

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A completed pass, logged in seconds.

Questions.

Every rulebook here has a tiebreaker except high school. There, a state can approve one. All four states we compare have one.

Related rules

Official rulebooks

Sources cited on this page

  1. NFL FLAG Official Playing Rules (NFL FLAG, Revised March 24, 2025)
  2. USA Flag 5's Rulebook (USA Flag 5's, v2026.2)
  3. USA Flag 7's Rulebook (USA Flag 7's, v2026.2)
  4. NFHS Flag Football Rules Book (NFHS, 2026-27)
  5. IHSA Girls' Flag Football Manual for Schools and Managers (IHSA manual, 2026-27)
  6. IHSA adoptions for the 2025-26 NFHS Flag Football Rules (IHSA, 2025-26, Section 7)
  7. IFAF Flag Football Rules (IFAF, 2023, effective May 1, 2023)
  8. 2025-26 and 2026-27 College Flag Football Rules (College, 2025-26 and 2026-27)
  9. NCHSAA adoptions for the 2026-27 NFHS Flag Football Rules (NCHSAA, 2026-27, June 2026)
  10. TSSAA adoptions for the 2026-27 NFHS Flag Football Rules (TSSAA, 2026-27)
  11. MPSSAA Girls' Flag State Association Adoptions (MPSSAA, 2026-27)
  12. 2026 CIF By State Adoption (NFHS Rule 1, Table 1-7) (CIF, 2026-27, posted on cifstate.org August 13, 2026)

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