FIFA World Cup 2022: What are the 'tiebreaker' rules for group stage fixtures in Qatar?

The FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar got underway on November 20 with Ecuador comfortably beating the hosts 2-0. The 32 teams competing in football's greatest event have been divided into eight groups, and every team in each group is ensuring that there is no scope for error during the group stage. Four teams in each group will play three matches, as every win, loss and draw decides their fate in the tournament.

Every goal scored or saved plays a vital factor in deciding which two teams from each group will advance to the Round of 16 and also to finalise which teams will face whom with a first-place or second-place finish. During the 2018 World Cup in Russia, three groups witnessed teams finishing with same points in the standings due to which the tiebreaker process was brought into play.

FIFA World Cup tiebreaker rules at a glance

The basic rule of a FIFA World Cup group stage is that the two teams with the most points after three matches advance to the next stage of the competition. However, sometimes two teams end up with same number of points and that is when the tiebreaker rule comes into play. The first step to break the tiebreak during the group stage of FIFA World Cup 2022 is through the greatest number of points obtained in all group matches. 

The next two steps include superior goal difference in all group matches and the greatest number of goals scored in all group matches. If two or more teams are equal on goals and points during step 1, then FIFA will move on to step 2. The second step to break the tie break during the Qatar 2022 group stage includes,

• Greatest number of goals scored in all group matches between the teams concerned
• Highest team conduct score relating to the number of yellow and red cards obtained:

           Yellow card: minus-1 point

           Indirect red card (as a result of two yellow cards): minus-3 points

           Direct red card: minus-4 points

           Yellow card and direct red card: minus-5 points

• Drawing of lots by the FIFA Organising Committee

FIFA World Cup 2022: Participating teams

Group A: Qatar, Ecuador, Senegal, Netherlands
Group B: England, Iran, United States, Wales
Group C: Argentina, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Poland
Group D: France, Australia, Denmark, Tunisia
Group E: Spain, Costa Rica, Germany, Japan
Group F: Belgium, Canada, Morocco, Croatia
Group G: Brazil, Serbia, Switzerland, Cameroon
Group H: Portugal, Ghana, Uruguay, South Korea