THE World Cup in Qatar has been an exciting affair, with the group stages coming to a close.
Brazil, France and England are the front-runners to win the whole thing, with 2018 finalists Croatia are considered an outsider.
Gareth Southgate‘s men smashed six past Iran and before drawing to the USA and beating Wales to qualify.
Things are tighter in Group C, where Argentina, Poland, Mexico and Saudi Arabia can all go through.
There is a chance that teams will finish level on points in the group stages, seeing their fates decided on goal difference – but what happens if their goal difference and goals scored are identical too?
This could be the case TONIGHT.
What happens if teams are level on points, goal difference and goals scored at the World Cup?
If teams finish level on points at the end of the group stage, the decision on who goes through will be decided as the team who scored the most goals out of those in question would progress.
However, there is a chance that teams will finish level on points, goal difference and goals scored during the tournament in Qatar with a tight group stage expected.
If this happens, there is a set of criteria that will be followed, with head-to-head coming into play as well as the potential of fair play points being utilised.
The criteria is as follows:
- Points obtained in the matches played between the teams level on point
- Goal difference in the matches played between the teams level on points
- Number of goals scored in the matches played between the teams level on points
- Fair play points in all group matches
The fair play point deductions are as follows (only one deduction can be applied to a player in a single match):
- Yellow card: -1 point
- Indirect (second yellow) red card: -3 points
- Direct red card: -4 points
- Yellow card and later a direct red card: -5 points
What happens if teams are level on fair play points?
If they are level on fair play points, the last way to determine who progresses is by luck of the draw. However, this has NEVER happened in World Cup history.
The two teams are assigned a ball and put into a pot before a member of the World Cup organising committee – who isn’t from one of the countries involved – would draw one out. The one that is drawn out will go through.
Have teams ever finished level on points, goal difference and goals scored at the World Cup?
Teams have finished level on all three variables once in World Cup history, and it came pretty recently.
Senegal and Japan both finished on four points in Group H as Russia hosted the tournament in 2018 with an identical goal difference, goals scored and goals conceded against each other after the criteria was followed.
However, Japan progressed due to amassing more fair play points than the Africa nation.
The Japanese saw a deduction of -4 in comparison to Senegal’s -6 points, seeing them through to the knockouts.
The 2022 tournament came close to seeing a place decided on fair play as Mexico finished just behind Poland on goal difference.
However, it was going down to the fair play system until Saudi Arabia netted a late consolation against the Mexicans.
