Rules and tiebreakers
How the simulator orders groups, selects best third-place teams, and builds the Round of 32 bracket.
Group tiebreakers (simplified)
Points, goal difference, goals scored, head-to-head points, head-to-head goal difference, head-to-head goals, fair play (placeholder), draw. This follows typical FIFA ordering but is simplified for the tool.
Best third-place ranking
We rank all 12 third-place teams by points, goal difference, goals scored, and a fair play placeholder. The top 8 advance to the Round of 32.
Bracket layout
Round of 32 pairings follow the Annex C mapping based on which third-place teams qualify. Winners progress to QF, SF, Final, plus a third-place match.