World Cup 2018 group stage tiebreakers and FIFA fair play rules, explained

Several groups could have tiebreakers determine who goes on to the World Cup knockout stage. How do each of the tiebreakers work at the World Cup?

The clearest way to get through to the Round of 16 at the World Cup is to earn more points from the three group-stage matches than any other team in the group. But there isn’t always a clear-cut result in every match. Sometimes teams end up tied on points at the end of the group stage. As a result, FIFA must determine prior to the World Cup how to break any potential ties.

After that, the tiebreakers go to goal differential (goals scored minus goals allowed). If that cannot break the tie, FIFA then looks at total goals scored. If the two teams are still tied after this, FIFA has put into place various tiebreaker rules. The goal is to determine which team would go through based on what happened on the pitch.

Fair play rules: What if two or more teams are still tied after those tiebreakers?

If the tie is between two teams in the group, the head-to-head result determines who advances to the knockout stage. If the tie is between three or more teams, the total points earned between the two teams breaks the tie. And if that is still level, goal differential and total goals between the three-plus teams would break the tie.

If the two teams drew in their head-to-head match, or the three teams are still unable to break the tie in this situation, discipline determines the winner. Fair play awards are determined by the number of yellow and red cards received throughout the group stage. The team(s) with the fewest number of carded infractions would advance from that point.

And if the teams are still unable to break the gridlock in such an instance, there is only so much FIFA can do. In that rare instance, lots would be drawn to determine which team(s) get to advance to the Round of 16 and who would face an early trip home.

Next: The best player on every team at the 2018 World Cup

While FIFA has set the rules up to try to break ties based on the play on the pitch, that cannot always happen in groups with only three matches of sample size. Sometimes it all comes down to the luck of the draw, even at the World Cup.