World Cup Tiebreaker Rules for Group Stages
What Are the Tiebreaking Rules for the Group Stages of the 2010 World Cup?
Obviously, the first basis for advancing past the groups is having more points than the other teams. The two teams with the most points advance past the group, and this is usually sufficient to determine which countries move ahead. However, if teams end up tied after all of the Group matches have been played in the World Cup, there are a few different tiebreaking rules in place.
World Cup Tiebreaker Number 1
The first basis for separating the teams is of course points obtained in matches. After that, the first tiebreaker is the goal differential between the teams in their group matches. Goal differential is how many goals you scored more (or less) than your opponents in the matches you played, and that figure is compared to the other tied team.
World Cup Tiebreaker Number 2
If goal differential still doesn't solve the Group tie in the World Cup, then you look at the team with the highest total of goals scored in the Group matches. So if two teams have the same number of points, and the same goal differential, whichever team put more goals in the net advances into the knockout stages.
World Cup Tiebreakers 3-5
The next World Cup tiebreakers for the groups look at the result between two teams in their head-to-head competition. First is looking at the results between the teams, then the goal differential, and then the total goals scored. Therefore it's the same set of tiebreakers as above, only now looking at results in matches involving the teams. These tiebreaking rules are really only necessary when there are more than 2 teams involved.
Final World Cup Tiebreaker
There can still be a situation however when these Word Cup tiebreakers for the Group stages are not enough. If the above tiebreaking rules did not solve the problem, then the advancing teams are actually just drawn by lots to see who advances. It's obviously something that no country or team would want to have to rely upon, and it normally does not occur.
However, it actually has happened once before, in the 1990 World Cup between Netherlands and the Republic of Ireland. However, the Groups were setup differently due to only 24 teams being in the field as opposed to the current 32, so the drawing of lots only affected seeding and did not determine who went home and who advanced.
The stakes are obviously much higher now, and with Group C tightening up between Slovenia, the USA, England and Algeria, the tiebreaker rules for the World Cup could prove to be very important.
Sources:
FIFA.com; Sorting Out FIFA's Tiebreaking Rules for the World Cup
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5 Comments
Post a CommentLuis, I think you could possibly try a few different things... it shouldn't have to come to randomly drawing, that's for sure.
Why not add something else before the slots? I think that looking at who scored the earliest goal during the tournament has been used before (nearly impossible to tie on this, especially if you go beyond minutes and look at seconds).
[metric123] It appears there is indeed a chance these tie breaking rules will come into play with the Italy and New Zealand scenario. There is also a chance as you say that the remaining two matches in group F could end in a draw, then yes, Italy has a 50/50 chance of going home based on pulling from a hat. I think the fate and outcome should be put into the hands of the players and teams involved. A lotter is not competitive by any means, let the teams play (1) 45 minute half and go directly to a shootout.
Correction: If tiebreakers 1 and 2 (goal differential and most goals scored) don't solve the problem, the 3rd tiebreaker is the head-to-head between the two tied teams. The team who has won the the match between these two advances to the next round. If result of the match between the two teams is a tie, then the fair play rule enters into play. The team with less red cards in the first round advances. If that does not solve it, the team with less yellow cards would advance.
Wrong!
1 and 2 are correct. But if after that there are two teams tied, step 3 is the head-to-head game, and only if that was a tie do you go to a coin flip.
If after 1 and 2 there are three teams tied, you take the three head-to-head games, and then among those games only you look at points, then goal difference, then goals for. If all that fails you go to a lottery.
If after 1 and 2 all four teams are tied, then you go indeed straight to lottery.