Using head to head as the first tiebreaker is nothing new. Uefa favours it in all its competitions.
The theory behind it is how it separates teams on the result of the match between them, filtering out potentially big scorelines from other matches which can skew goal difference.
Although half the size in terms of the number of teams competing, since 2016, the Euros has used the same format as the World Cup with some third-placed teams qualifying.
At Euro 2016, Italy topped the group and Ukraine were knocked out after two games.
At Euro 2020 it happened in one group, creating a dead rubber between Netherlands and North Macedonia.
At Euro 2024, Portugal and Spain topped their groups with Poland eliminated.
Yet more teams have already been either eliminated or made it through to the round of 32 at this World Cup (eight) than in the whole of the three Euros combined (seven).
Mexico, USA, Germany and Argentina are locked as group winners.
Haiti, Turkey, Tunisia and Jordan know they will be on the plane home.
USA v Turkey and Argentina v Jordan are dead rubbers, fixtures between group winners and eliminated teams.
More could follow on Tuesday. England or Ghana could seal top spot, while Croatia or Panama and Uzbekistan might go out.
At the 2022 World Cup, only Canada and Qatar were eliminated after two rounds.
What would happen if we were to apply head to head and add potential third places to the previous edition of the competition?
France, Brazil and Portugal would have been through as group winners after two matches – a total of five teams impacted.
Why is this? It could indicate a greater gap in quality at the World Cup which has allowed some countries to coast to qualification.
The order of fixtures could be influential too; if the strongest teams play the weakest first that gives them a greater likelihood of accumulating six points.
