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Group Stage: How Tiebreakers Work, Part I

  • Writer: classicalmichele
    classicalmichele
  • Aug 24, 2018
  • 1 min read

So far I've learned how teams get to qualify for the World Cup, and how the Group Stage works. Now I'm exploring how tiebreakers work at the group level.

Of course there are competition regulations, which are the rules to which FIFA adheres for World Cup play. These regs are as follows for step one regarding advancement and ties:

  1. greatest number of points obtained in all group matches;

  2. goal difference in all group matches;

  3. greatest number of goals scored in all group matches.

Basically, the goal differential is the difference between the goals scored by a team and the goals that same team allowed to be scored on them. The bigger the positive number a team has the better.

If teams are still tied, then FIFA moves on to count the greatest number of goals scored in all group matches for each team. But guess what? Teams can STILL be tied after that! Tune in to Part II for the story on what happens in step two.

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