Updated: 20 Jun 2026 16:26 BST |
4 min read
Amid all the ticketing disasters and hydration break frustration, the biggest mistake that FIFA has made at the 2026 World Cup is about to become painfully obvious.
A subtle change that global football’s governing body has implemented for the competition promises to spell disaster in forthcoming games for the integrity of the sport, in a move that could hark back to one of the World Cup’s darkest days.
During the 1982 competition, West Germany beat Austria 1-0 in Gijon, Spain. While there was nothing unremarkable about the scoreline of the game, what was written in footballing lore was how the outcome came about. That the game is known as the ‘Disgrace of Gijon’ and sparked a fundamental change in how major competitions are arranged offers some insight into the importance of the match.
West Germany won the fixture 1-0 via an early goal from Horst Hrubesch after which, neither side made any serious attempt to score again. The outcome suited both teams, with Austria able to progress as group winners and the West Germans eliminating Algeria, who had already completed their three matches.
Brian Glanville describes the game in his book ‘The Story of the World Cup’ as being a “travesty of effort and football, one which threw into stark relief the weaknesses” of the World Cup format. Indeed, in that same tournament, Northern Ireland and Spain played out a similarly bland final group stage game in a move that prompted FIFA to schedule the final pool games to run concurrently.
History set to repeat itself?
Just a couple of days into the second round of matches at the 2026 World Cup, FIFA has set the current tournament on a crash course with history.
It has done this by changing the way that groups are decided, shifting the first tiebreaker between teams finishing on the same points away from goal difference and making it instead on head-to-head.
This subtle alteration promises to play havoc with the final round of fixtures.
Mexico, for example, have already secured top spot in Group A. They can, therefore, play a severely weakened side against the Czech Republic in their final match. It’s a game that the Czechs would have approached as strong underdogs, yet they now approach it in far more favourable circumstances.
Elsewhere, a draw suits Paraguay and Australia, who meet in matchday three in Group D. With both sides having (somehow) logged wins over Turkey, a draw will leave them on four points and, therefore, highly likely to progress.
The betting markets reflect that reality. A draw in this game is now considered to be the likeliest outcome. Given that tied games are typically considered outside bets, it shows a fundamental shift in the way the game is likely to be played without either having done anything illegal.
Remember the aimless football between West Germany and Austria? We could be in for a repeat.
USMNT set for Turkey ‘friendly’
From FIFA’s perspective, it’s not a healthy situation to be in. Mauricio Pochettino’s USA team, one of the flagships sides of the tournament, will play what is little more than a friendly against eliminated Turkey next Friday. Having set record-breaking ticket prices, it’s an embarrassing look.
Ultimately, this rather than a series of convenient draws might be the critical factor in FIFA’s thinking. It’s agenda at the World Cup has been to maximise revenue streams, so the prospect of having an uncompetitive group match involving one of the showpiece host nations is a particularly uncomfortable one.
FIFA has scored numerous own goals at the 2026 World Cup, but the decision to switch to head-to-head tiebreakers threatens to become the most obvious in the coming days.
