Euro 2024 tiebreak rules: How groups are decided and Qualification for Knockouts works with level points

Euro 2024 kicked off on June 14 when tournament hosts Germany faced Scotland in Munich.

That game kickstarted a month-long football extravaganza, as 24 teams vie for glory and a path to the final in Berlin on July 14th.

However, the first step for every team dreaming of European glory is to get out of the group stages, with six groups of four teams battling it out. The top two teams from each group will qualify automatically for the Round of 16, with the best four third-placed teams also making the first knockout phase.

But what happens if teams finish level tied on points at the end of the group stage? How will tiebreakers at the tournament work? Here, BALLGIST finds out:

How Euro 2024 groups are decided in the event of a tie

In the event that two or more teams finish with the same number of points in the group stage of Euro 2024. UEFA have already defined tiebreaker rules to decide the situation, as per their tournament guidelines.

The qualifier will decide based on the below criteria, starting with number one and proceeding to the others in order if the tie persists:

1. Higher number of points obtained in the head-to-head matches played between the teams in question.
    
2. Superior goal difference resulting from the head-to-head matches played between the teams in question.
    
3. Higher number of goals scored in the head-to-head matches played between the teams in question.
    
4. If, after having applied criteria 1 to 3, teams still have an equal ranking, criteria 1 to 3 are reapplied exclusively to the matches between the teams who are still level to determine their final rankings. If this procedure does not lead to a decision, criteria 5 to 10 will apply.
    
5. Superior goal difference in all group matches.
    
6. Higher number of goals scored in all group matches.
    
7. If on the last round of the group stage, two teams who are facing each other are tied in points, goal difference and goals scored then they drew their match, their ranking is determined by a penalty shootout. (This criterion cannot apply if more than two teams have the same number of points.)
8. Lower disciplinary points total in all group matches (1 point for a single yellow card, 3 points for a red card as a consequence of two yellow cards, 3 points for a direct red card, 4 points for a yellow card followed by a direct red card.)
    
9. Higher position in the European Qualifiers overall ranking, unless the comparison involves hosts Germany, in which case a drawing of lots will take place.