Aggregate
The aggregate is the combined score of a two-legged tie. The goals scored in both matches are added together, and the club with the higher total advances to the next round of the competition.
Why it matters
It matters because it decides two-legged ties. A club that loses the first leg can still advance by winning the second, so the aggregate keeps a tie alive across both matches and rewards the side with the better overall performance.
Where it is used
It is used in every two-legged round. The aggregate is calculated after the second leg, and if the totals are level the tie is decided by extra time and, if necessary, a penalty shoot-out.
How to read it
Read the aggregate as the score of the whole tie. It is not the result of either match alone but of both together, so a club playing the second leg knows exactly what it must do to advance.
What it means
the combined score of a two-legged tie
Aggregate is one of the working terms of the competition. This entry explains it as a mechanism that holds true from season to season, so it can be read on its own or alongside the other entries in the glossary of the tournament.
- The combined score of two matches.
- Goals from both legs are added.
- The higher total advances.
- Can overturn a first-leg defeat.
- If level, the tie goes to extra time.
- The score of the whole tie, not one match.