The 2025 FIFA Club World Cup has brought together 32 of the world’s top clubs for a month-long football spectacle in the United States. With only the top two teams from each of the eight groups advancing to the knockout rounds, understanding how ties are broken in the group stage is crucial for fans and teams alike.
Unlike the traditional FIFA World Cup, the Club World Cup uses a unique set of tiebreaker rules that prioritize head-to-head results over overall goal difference, adding a fresh layer of strategy and suspense to the competition.
What are the Club World Cup tie break rules?
In the group stage, teams earn three points for a win, one for a draw, and none for a loss. At the end of the round-robin matches, teams are ranked by total points. If two or more teams are level on points, a series of tiebreakers is applied to determine their final positions and who advances to the knockout round.
Getty Images SportHead-to-Head results
The first tiebreaker is the result of matches played between the teams that are level on points. If only two teams are tied, the team that won their direct encounter ranks higher. If their match ended in a draw or if more than two teams are tied, further head-to-head criteria are used.
Head-to-Head goal difference
If head-to-head results do not separate the teams, the next step is to compare the goal difference (goals scored minus goals conceded) in the matches played between the tied teams.
Head-to-Head goals scored
Should teams remain level, the number of goals scored in the head-to-head matches is considered next.
If more than two teams are tied and some, but not all, remain level after applying the above criteria, the above process is reapplied exclusively to the subset of teams still tied.
Disciplinary points
If teams are still level, disciplinary records come into play. Points are deducted for yellow and red cards - one point for yellow, three for an indirect red (second yellow), four for a direct red card and five points for a yellow and a direct red.
The team with the fewest disciplinary points ranks higher.
Drawing of lots
If all else fails, the final tiebreaker is the drawing of lots - a random process to determine which team advances.
The FIFA Club World Cup’s group stage tiebreakers are designed to prioritize direct competition between teams, ensuring that head-to-head results take precedence over overall statistics. As the group stage reaches its climax, understanding these rules is essential for following the drama and permutations that will decide which clubs advance to the knockout rounds.
With every match and every goal potentially decisive, the tiebreaker system adds a compelling strategic dimension to the tournament.