Tie-Breakers for Football Teams Level on Points

As far as I’m aware, every football league in the world uses number of points gained as the way to rank teams in a table. Everyone seems to agree that that’s definitely the way to go, and football is all the better for it.

But not everyone agrees on how to split teams that finish level on points. There are various methods used in various orders of preference by various soccer leagues. Goal difference, goals scored, head to head record, games won, a specially arranged playoff. Tossing a coin and drawing lots even comes into it, when things get desperate.

Here’s a(n incomplete list) of which football leagues use which tie-breakers (and in which order) when two or more teams finish level on points.

Argentina Primera Division: Playoff at neutral venue

Austrian Bundesliga: 1. Goal difference, 2. Goals scored

Campeonato Brasileiro Série A: 1. Number of wins, 2. Goal difference, 3. Goals scored, 4. Head-to-head (with away goals rule), 5. Lower number of red cards, 6. Lower number of yellow cards, 7. Drawing lots (unless for title or relegation, in which case: playoff at neutral venue)

Belgium Erste Klasse: 1. Games won, 2. Two-legged play-off

English Premier League: 1. Goal difference, 2. Goals scored, 3. Playoff at neutral venue (if for title, relegation or Euro qualification, otherwise: teams share position)

France Ligue 1: 1. Goal difference, 2. Goals scored

German Bundesliga: 1. Goal difference, 2. Goals scored, 3. Head to head points, 4. Head to head goal difference, 5. Head to head away goals scored, 6. Total away goals scored, 7. Playoff at neutral venue

Super League Greece: 1. Head to head points, 2. Head to head goal difference, 3. Playoff at neutral venue

Italy Serie A: 1. Head to head records, 2. Goal difference

J-League (Japan): 1. Goal difference, 2. Goals scored, 3. Head-to-head points, 4. Head-to-head goal difference, 5. Head-to-head goals scored, 6. Fairplay points (lower number wins), 7. Drawing of lots

Major League Soccer (USA): 1. Head to head, 2. Goal difference, 3. Goals scored, 4. Start tie-breakers again but away games only, 5. And again with home games only, 6. Fewest disciplinary points, 7. Coin toss (no, seriously!)

Primera División de México: 1. Goal difference, 2. Goals scored

Netherlands Eredivise: 1. Goal difference, 2. Goals scored

Polish Ekstraklasa: 1. Head-to-head points, 2. Head-to-head goal difference, 3. Head-to-head “away goals” rule, 4. Goal difference, 5. Goals scored, 6. Fair Play classification, 7. Playoff at neutral venue

Portuguese Liga: 1. Head to head points, 2. Head to head goal difference, 3. Head to head away goals scored, 4. Goal difference, 5. Number of wins

Russian Premier League: 1. Number of wins, 2. Goal differece (But if to decide title then: Number of wins, head to head results, championship playoff at neutral venue)

Scottish Premier League: 1. Goal difference, 2. goals scored

Spain La Liga: 1. Head to head points, 2. Head to head goal difference, 3. Head to head goals scored, 4. Goal difference, 5. Goals scored

Allsvenskan (Sweden): 1. Goal difference, 2. Goals scored

Turkish Süper Lig: 1. Goal difference, 2. Goals scored

…

UEFA Champions League group stage: 1. Head to head points, 2. Head to head goal difference, 3. Away goals between tied teams, 4. Goal difference, 5. Goals scored, 6. UEFA co-effecient points

AFC Champions League group stage: 1. Head-to-head points, 2. Head-to-head goal difference, 3. Head-to-head goals scored, 4. Goal difference in all group games, 5. Goals scored in all group games, 6. PKs (if they played against each other in the final game of the group), 7. Fairplay points (lower number wins, meaning fewer yellow and reds accumulated), 8. Drawing of lots

World Cup group stage: 1. Goal difference, 2. Goals scored, 3. Head to head points, 4. Head to head goal difference, 5. Drawing of lots (for reals, see page 20)

If any of the above is incorrect or incomplete, please let me know in the comments. And please do the same if you know the tie-breakers for any leagues not mentioned above. The goal here is to get a fairly conclusive list together that can be used for future reference.

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Category: World Football