Little-known World Cup change that ensures the US have already won their group
The 2026 World Cup is already in the second round of the group stage, with teams such as England, Germany and France positioning themselves well to advance. Co-hosts Mexico secured the top spot in the next round with victory over South Korea, and the USA also benefited from a new rule that prioritizes head-to-head matches over goal difference.
The 2026 World Cup is already boiling with emotions in the group stage. Mexico, co-hosts of the tournament, became the first team to advance to the round of 16 after beating South Korea 1-0. This victory guarantees El Tri first place in Group A. The most interesting thing about this situation is that, thanks to a change in FIFA rules, the USA also secured the top of their group after Turkey's defeat to Paraguay.
The big news in this edition of the World Cup is that, for the first time, the tiebreaker between teams with the same score will be decided by the results of direct confrontations, and no longer by goal difference. This means that the USA's position has been confirmed following its victory over Paraguay and a convincing victory against Australia.
The impact of this rule promises to influence the remaining group stage matches. To better understand how this works, the new criteria prioritizes the recording of direct confrontations between teams, followed by goal difference and, in the event of a draw, the total number of goals scored. If there is still a tie, the classification will be decided by the position in the FIFA rankings.
Therefore, for a team to secure first place in a group after just two matches, the team in first place must have beaten other teams that have three points. Mexico, for example, won its first two games and is three points ahead of South Korea, which guarantees that it cannot be overtaken, as it beat the Asian team in a direct confrontation.
Meanwhile, the situation in the US group gets even more interesting. With Turkey's victory over Paraguay, the USA secured first place, and now Germany can also secure first place in their group if they beat Ivory Coast. Sweden can qualify as leaders if they beat the Netherlands and Japan don't beat Tunisia, and Argentina, led by Lionel Messi, can secure first place if they beat Austria.
Finally, Thomas Tuchel's England have the chance to secure top spot in Group L if they beat Ghana and Panama don't beat Croatia. FIFA's new rules are definitely changing the dynamics of the World Cup and promise a tournament full of surprises.
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