Heading into the final round of group games at the FIFA Club World Cup, only four teams were assured of a place in the Round of 16.
Flamengo and Bayern Munich were the first teams to book their places in the knockout stages, while Manchester City and Juventus will battle it out for top spot in Group G after each winning two from two.
Seven teams — LAFC, Auckland City, Urawa Red Diamonds, Ulsan, Pachuca, Wydad AC and Al Ain — will be heading home after this round of matches.
It means plenty of teams are in the mix for the 12 still-open qualification slots. It’s going to be tight and some could finish level on points.
So, what happens then?
Club World Cup tiebreakers: Head-to-head records or goal difference?
Points in the Club World Cup group stage are allocated in the standard manner for professional football across the globe.
Teams receive three points for a win, one for a draw and zero for a defeat.
The top two teams in each of the eight four-team groups will progress to the Round of 16. If two teams simply have more points than the other two and one of the qualifiers has more than the other, we’re on easy street.
If the points totals are level, then we delve into tiebreakers.
Typically, in league play, goal difference is used to separate teams level on points over the course of a season. However, in the shortened format of what is essentially a three-game league, FIFA has decided that the fairest way to separate teams level on points is by which one won the game between the two.
If two teams level on points drew their game or there are three teams on the same points — a scenario which played out as Group B as PSG, Atletico Madrid, and Botafogo all finished level — and Group H (Real Madrid, Red Bull Salzburg and Al Hilal) heading into the final matchday — then things get… interesting.
Club World Cup tiebreakers, explained
Let’s delve into FIFA’s tiebreak rules as explained on their official website. We’ve already covered point a).
The top two teams in each of the eight groups will reach the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 playoffs. If two or more teams in the same group finish on equal points, 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), b) and c), teams still have an equal ranking, criteria a), b) and c) are applied to the matches between the remaining teams only. If they are still equal, the following criteria, in the order below, shall be applied:
d) superior goal difference in all group matches;
e) greatest number of goals scored in all group matches;
f) best disciplinary record in accordance with the team conduct scores;
g) drawing of lots by FIFA.
Okay, so points b) and c) are only really relevant if more than two teams finish on the same points total. Superior goal difference and the most goals scored is covered by the head-to-head result if two teams are level on points.
If three teams have the same points totals, then their goal difference totals and goals scored are examined, with goals scored or conceded in each of their matches against the fourth team in the group removed.
In the more common instance of two teams being level on points, having drawn their game against one another, we revert to superior goal difference and goals scored overall. It’s not especially difficult to get this far down the permutations chain. For example, if Juventus and Manchester City draw in Orlando on June 26, Juve will finish top of Group G on goals scored.
In the unlikely event of being unable to separate teams after going through those five steps, FIFA will examine disciplinary records before the throwback and entirely unsatisfactory option of drawing lots.
But it won’t come to that… right?
2025 Club World Cup Group B table
| Pos. | Team | P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts |
| 1. | PSG | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 1 | +5 | 6 |
| 2. | Botafogo | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 | +1 | 6 |
| 3. | Atletico Madrid | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 5 | -1 | 6 |
| 4. | Seattle Sounders | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 5 | -3 | 0 |
In Group B, three teams finished level on six points, meaning someone had to be left out.
All three teams beat the Seattle Sounders, meaning they each picked up three points against one another. Thus, head-to-head record could not separate any of them.
From there, goal difference between the three clubs came into play. Below is the table of games only concerning games between the teams in question.
| Pos. | Team | P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts |
| 1. | PSG | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 1 | +3 | 3 |
| 2. | Botafogo | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| 3. | Atletico Madrid | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | -3 | 3 |
Atletico Madrid were left out thanks to their 4-0 defeat to PSG, which also consequently vaulted PSG to the top of the table. Botafogo lost 1-0 and won 1-0, so they finished second.
Consequently, this order was also how it would have played out had the primary tiebreaker been overall goal difference. So in the end, both systems would have produced the same results.
