The international qualifiers that determine which nations will compete in major competitions are a source of excitement for football fans around the world. The emergence of new powers in South America and Oceania is one obvious example, but even Europe has witnessed a number of upsets this season.
The 2026 World Cup is no exception and the race to the finals is hotting up. Several teams have already made a strong start to their campaigns and the race to the top four places is very tight indeed.
Qualifying for the tournament is structured differently than it has been in recent years. The top team in each of the 12 groups will qualify automatically, while the runners-up will enter a second round of play-offs alongside four Nations League teams that finished outside their qualifying group. The six path winners will then go into the inter-confederation play-offs, where two teams will qualify for the finals.
Normally, matches that finish level after 90 minutes go to extra time and, if necessary, penalties. However, this is not always the case and, in some cases, a tiebreaker may be applied to decide the outcome of a match.
This is especially the case where two teams are tied on points after 90 minutes but differ in other ways, such as having more away goals or being deducted points for breaking competition rules. These criteria are specified by FIFA, with the final decision taken by a majority of votes from the Executive Board (including those from the relevant committees) and the chair.