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2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup: How do teams qualify for the knockout rounds?

NBC Sports
·2 min read

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Joe Prince-Wright, Nick Mendola and Andy Edwards analyze which teams have been the most impressive so far at the Women's World Cup.

This summer’s Women’s World Cup will feature an expanded field of 32 teams, divided into eight groups of four. Each team is guaranteed to play a minimum of three matches, playing each team in their group once. At the end of the group stage, the top-two teams from each group will advance to the knockout rounds, which follows a single-elimination, bracket format.

How do teams qualify for the knockout rounds?

Depending on the result of each group stage game, teams earn a certain number of points (3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss). After each team has played all three group stage matches, the two teams with the most points in each group will advance to the knockout rounds. If two or more teams are tied on the same number of points, a series of tiebreakers are used to determine which team will finish above the other(s) in the table.

MORE: 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup schedule

What are the group stage tiebreakers?

If two or more teams are tied on the same number of points following the group stage, the below criteria are used, in this order, to determine the rankings of those teams in their group:

  1. Superior goal difference in all group matches

  2. Greatest number of goals scored in all group matches

  3. Greatest number of points obtained in the group matches between the teams concerned

  4. Superior goal difference resulting from the group matches between the teams concerned

  5. Greatest number of goals scored in all group matches between the teams concerned

  6. Highest team conduct score relating to the number of yellow and red cards obtained***

  7. Drawing of lots

***For tiebreaker #6 (highest team conduct score), the team with the highest number of points after the group stage, based on the below criteria, shall be ranked highest:

  • Yellow card: minus 1 point

  • Indirect red card (two yellows): minus 3 points

  • Direct red card: minus 4 points

  • Yellow card and direct red card: minus 5 points

The fair play tiebreaker was included for the first time at a Women’s World Cup four years ago in 2019, although it was not needed.

2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup schedule, start time, dates, how to watch live

  • When: July 20 to August 20

  • Location: Australia and New Zealand

  • TV channels en Español: Telemundo, Universo, Peacock

  • Streaming en Español: Peacock (all 64 matches)

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