Qatar 2022 has finally arrived, and from now on it will be the only thing world soccer will talk about. In every FIFA World Cup, many questions arise as people from every corner of the globe watch this tournament.

The host nation and Ecuador will kick off the highly anticipated competition on November 20, and from then on the World Cup will run until December 18, with the grand final at the Lusail Stadium.

Throughout the World Cup month, it will be important to keep an eye on the rules. Here, we’re going to take a look at the group stage tiebreaker criteria in case teams finished tied in the standings.

What is the tiebreaker in the World Cup group stage?

The World Cup group stage draw divides all 32 teams into eight groups of four. Each team plays three games, with the top two in each group sealing a place in the knockout phase. If teams finish level on points, there are different tiebreakers.

1. Goal difference

When teams are tied on points, the first criteria is to consider the goal differential. The team with the best difference between goals scored and goals conceded has the edge, but if the nations in question are tied here as well, they move on to the following tiebreaker.

2. Goals scored

It can happen that teams are tied both on points and goal differential, which is when the goals scored is used as the tiebreaker. This is to reward teams that made a bigger effort or simply had the luck to find the net on more occasions.

3. Points from group games between tied teams

The third tiebreaker criteria is to consider the results between the teams in question. If they drew, the following two tiebreakers would only be useful if there are more than two teams concerned.

4. Goal difference in group games involving tied teams

5. Goals scored in group games involving tied teams

6. Fair play points

In the event none of the aforementioned tiebreakers help to resolve the situation, the Fair Play takes center stage. A yellow card deducts one point, an indirect red takes three points off, a direct red means four less points, while a straight card that comes after a yellow card costs -5. The team with the highest score after this deduction gets the upper hand.

7. Draw by FIFA

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Using this World Cup Predictor, you can see every potential outcome of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.