2025 FIFA Club World Cup tiebreakers: what happens if teams finish the group stage on equal points?
Real Madrid, Chelsea, PSG and Inter Miami are among the teams who must clinch a round-of-16 place in their third and final group game.
The group stage of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup is coming towards its conclusion, with teams from Groups A to battling to finish in the top two positions to ensure they qualify for the round of 16.
Which teams have already qualified for the FIFA Club World Cup round of 16?
Four teams - Bayern Munich, Flamengo, Manchester City and Juventus - booked their places in the first knockout round by winning their second group games.
Seven - Auckland City, LAFC, Urawa Red Diamonds, Ulsan HD, Wydad AC, Al Ain and Pachuca - lost their first two fixtures, resulting in their premature eliminations.
2025 FIFA Club World Cup tiebreaker rules in the group stage
For the remaining teams, there is all to play for in the final round of group stage fixtures, and with each team playing only three times, there is every chance two or more could end up level on points, as has happened on numerous occasions in the round robin in similar tournaments over the years.
According to FIFA regulations for the Club World Cup, the following tiebreakers will be used, if necessary, at the end of the group stage:
FIFA Club World Coup group stage tiebreakers
If two or more teams in the same group are equal on points after the completion of the group stage, the following criteria, in the order below, shall be applied to determine the ranking:
a) greatest number of points obtained in the group matches between the teams concerned;
b) superior goal difference resulting from the group matches between the teams concerned;
c) greatest number of goals scored in all group matches between the teams concerned.
If, after having applied criteria a) to c) above, teams still have an equal ranking, and in order to determine their final rankings, criteria a) to c) above are applied to the matches between the remaining teams only. If no decision can be made through this procedure, criteria d) to f) below shall apply as follows to the two or more teams still equal on points:
d) superior goal difference in all group matches;
e) greatest number of goals scored in all group matches;
f) highest team conduct score (players and team officials) 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
Only one of the above deductions shall be applied to a player or team official in a single match. The team with the highest number of points shall be ranked highest.
g) drawing of lots by FIF
If two teams are tied on points, this means the main tiebreaker is the outcome of the head-to-head meeting between those teams. If the game ended in a draw, overall goal difference in the group is the second tiebreaker.
Should three or more teams be involved in the tie, then the results of all the games played between the teams will be considered, bringing goal difference in those games (tiebreaker b) in the above table) and goals scored in those games (tiebreaker c)) into the equation before overall goal difference.
The reason Atlético Madrid were eliminated
That latter criteria was the reason Atlético Madrid were eliminated following a three-team tie with PSG and Botafogo in Group B. The teams were tied on points in games between each other, with the LaLiga side finishing below their group opponents due to having an inferior goal difference in those fixtures.
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