The first week of Qatar 2022 has been extremely exciting, but we're starting to reach the crucial stages of the FIFA World Cup. With the group phase final coming to an end, many wonder what happens if teams finish tied in the standings.
The group stage finale has already brought us some dramatic final matchdays, with teams battling for a place in the round of 16. Things were more evenly matched than predicted in some groups.
In Group C, for instance, all four teams arrived in the group finale with chances of qualifying: Argentina, Poland, Mexico, and Saudi Arabia. Let's take a look at the tiebreaker criteria when teams finish level on points.
What's the tiebreaker when teams finished tied in the World Cup group stage
The first tiebreaker in the FIFA World Cup when teams finish tied on points is the goal differential. That means, the team with the highest margin between goals scored and goals against, gets the ticket to the next round.
Qatar 2022: What happens if goal difference is the same between tied teams?
When the goal differential is the same, the tiebreaker used at World Cups is the goals scored. That means, the team that scored more goals qualifies to the round of 16. If this isn't enough, there are more ways to decide who advances and who goes home. Using this World Cup Predictor, you can see every potential outcome of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
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