Group Stage Complete The Eight Best Third Place Teams Are Being Calculated

[Calm Paige]

Scotland on three points and minus two goal difference are watching results from groups they never played in. That's the tournament experience in its most anxious form

[Sandworm81]

The group stage is now complete or nearly complete and the calculation of which eight third-place teams advance to the Round of 32 is underway. The expanded 48-team format produces twelve groups of four. Top two from each group advance automatically. Then the eight best third-place finishers from all twelve groups advance. Comparison is on points then goal difference then goals scored then head-to-head then fair play. Scotland's fate is one of many still being decided. Several groups produced three or four teams on similar records making the calculation genuinely complicated. Some teams will advance having won only once. Others will go home with three points and bad luck on goal difference. The next 24 hours of announcement and calculation is going to be dramatic.

[JayJ]

Some teams with three points will go through. Some with three points won't. Goal difference scored in completely different groups determines it. Slightly arbitrary but exciting

[NovaPrime]

The format was designed to keep more teams alive longer. It's working. Multiple third-place teams with genuine hope going into the final calculation

[VoidRanger40]

Cape Verde's goal difference from the group stage becomes relevant here. Their draws and narrow results might help or hurt depending on other groups

[Stuart_67]

The announcement when it comes will simultaneously delight some countries and devastate others. High drama for teams that didn't play last night

[SpinState22]

FIFA's tiebreaker criteria going all the way to fair play points is the last resort. Yellow and red cards potentially deciding World Cup progression is extreme but it's happened

[Frost Jay]

Group G result with Belgium and the final calculation is going to be particularly interesting

[Hitman04]

That Belgium game in Group G is going to completely break my brain before the night is over. Everyone penciled them in for the top spot easily, but football rarely reads the script we write for it. Imagine getting knocked out just because some team you never even played scored an extra stoppage-time header across town.