When I was told Id no longer be the manager I didnt say a word, but it hurt. Nine months earlier, wed won the Premier League, but now I was being dismissed? Why? Claudio Ranieri opens up on his Leicester City sacking
Copy linkFacebookXPinterestEmailShare this article 0Join the conversationFollow usAdd us as a preferred source on GoogleNewsletterFour Four TwoGet FourFourTwo NewsletterThe best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week.Become a Member in Seconds Unlock instant access to exclusive member features.Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.You are now subscribedYour newsletter sign-up was successfulWant to add more newsletters?Five times a weekFourFourTwo DailyFantastic football content straight to your inbox! From the latest transfer news, quizzes, videos, features and interviews with the biggest names in the game, plus lots more.Signup +Once a week...And its LIVE!Sign up to our FREE live football newsletter, tracking all of the biggest games available to watch on the device of your choice. Never miss a kick-off!Signup +Join the clubGet full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards.Explore An account already exists for this email address, please log in.Subscribe to our newsletterExpanding the World Cup to 48 teams makes it a 104-match colossus. The ideal tournament bracket format has 16, 32 or 64 teams but there's no turning back now.World Cup 2026 will be the first to have this exact format but it's reflective of past competitions with 24 teams. The eight best third-placed teams will progress to the round of 32 along with the 12 group winners and 12 runners-up.Consequently, the picture is going to get complicated at the end of the group stage not necessarily complicated in a bad way, but complicated nonetheless. You may like How many games will there be at the 2026 World Cup? World Cup 2026 calendar: Central Daylight Time World Cup 2026 calendar: Pacific Daylight Time With first, second and third place all definitive when the time comes to place teams in the round of 32 bracket, those that finish level on points after three group stage matches will be separated by a sequence of tiebreakers.In the event that two or more teams in a group finish on the same number of points, they'll work down the list of tiebreakers until the tie is broken. It's simpler than it sounds and FourFourTwo has the step-by-step...A post shared by FIFA Museum (@fifamuseum)A photo posted by on To quote the inimitable Faith No More, here's how it works.World Cup 2026 group stage tiebreakersThe first stage of World Cup 2026 tiebreakers is the simplest. It will be applied when two or more teams finish with the same number of points within a group.Get FourFourTwo NewsletterThe best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week.Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.These initial tiebreakers are applied based on matches between the teams that are tied.Most points obtained in matches between the tied teamsHighest goal difference in matches between the tied teamsMost goals scored in matches between the tied teamsIn that first level of tiebreakers, the overall goal differences and goals scored across the six group stage fixtures doesn't come into play. The head-to-head is king.If there are still teams level, the same three tiebreakers are applied again but only to the teams that remain tied. What to read next FIFA World Cup 2026: Dates, fixtures, stadiums, tickets and everything you need to know How do the 2026 World Cup play-offs work? Dates, venues and format World Cup 2026 calendar: India Standard Time If there are still teams tied after that, the tiebreakers started to get really interesting. This is the order in which they'll be applied:Highest goal difference in all group matchesMost goals scored in all group matchesThe next tiebreaker is where discipline comes in. Each team in the World Cup will be given a fair play score for their group stage matches,Players, coaches and team officials will lose one points for a yellow card, three points for two yellow cards, four points for a straight red card or five points for a yellow and then a straight red.That score is the next tiebreaker and the last to be affected at World Cup 2026.Previous performance then comes into play in the form of the FIFA World Rankings as follows:Highest fair play score in all group stage matchesHighest position in the current FIFA World RankingsHighest position in previous FIFA World Rankings working backwards until the tie is brokenBecause of the rarity of teams being level on FIFA World Rankings points, the chances of the final tiebreaker being required are minuscule, if that.The current FIFA World Rankings, released at the beginning of April, don't have any tied teams among the 211 FIFA nations.TOPICSWorld Cup 2026World CupChris NeeChris is a Warwickshire-based freelance football writer specialising in West Midlands football, the Premier League, the EFL and the J.League. He is the author of the High Protein Beef Paste football newsletter and owner of Aston Villa Review. He supports Coventry Sphinx.
