Literal use for a sudden death is possible but uncommon in ordinary Japanese; 突然死 is the usual plain term for this meaning.
It says “sudden death,” but here it means an actual sudden death, not a competition format.
sudden-death playoff; golden-goal playoff
Sports and game term for a tie-breaking format where the next score, point, or win immediately decides the result.
The penalty shootout was not decided after five players each, so it went into sudden death.
The extra period was played under sudden-death rules.
The score was still tied after extra time, so the game went into sudden death.
The final of this tournament will be decided using a sudden-death format.
After a sudden-death playoff, the Japanese team clinched the championship.