With the FIFA World Cup in full swing, a peculiar but entirely plausible scenario has captured the imagination of football fans: what happens if all four teams in a group finish on identical points and identical goal difference?

The tiebreakers, explained

FIFA has a structured hierarchy of criteria to separate teams that cannot be divided by points alone. The first ports of call are familiar ones — head-to-head results, overall goal difference, and total goals scored across all group matches.

If those metrics still leave teams inseparable, FIFA turns to disciplinary records. Yellow and red cards are tallied, and the teams with the fewest bookings earn priority. A red card carries a heavier penalty than a yellow, naturally.

FIFA rankings as the final arbiter

Should all of the above prove inconclusive — meaning every team has committed the exact same number of bookable offences — FIFA falls back on its official world rankings to determine who advances.

Taking the 2022 World Cup's Group B as an illustrative example: Switzerland (ranked 19th at the time), Canada (32nd), Qatar (49th), and Bosnia (63rd) would have been separated in that exact order had every other tiebreaker failed.

In that scenario, Switzerland and Canada would have advanced automatically from the group, with Qatar potentially competitive for a third-place spot depending on the wider tournament picture. Bosnia, ranked lowest of the four, would have been eliminated.

An unlikely but possible outcome

The chances of an entire group finishing level on points, goal difference, goals scored, and even disciplinary records are remote — but FIFA's rulebook accounts for it all the same. For supporters whose sides rank highly on the FIFA table, it is a comforting backstop. For those further down the rankings, it is one more reason to make sure matches are won on the pitch rather than decided in the boardroom.