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A dramatic scenario is expected in the last round of the eighth group
Spain and Cape Verde may have to resort to fair play standards to decide the winner of Group H in an exceptional scenario that could be imposed at the end of the third round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup group stage.
Spain enter their final match against Uruguay at dawn on Saturday, while Cape Verde face Saudi Arabia at the same time amid high expectations for the final results in the group.
After the second round, the Spanish team leads the group with 4 points, while the Uruguayan team is second with 2 points, followed by Cape Verde with the same score, and the Saudi Arabian representative is in last place with one point.
A win guarantees Spain a place in the round of 32 at the top of the group, while a draw with Uruguay keeps La Roja’s chances of finishing in the first round alive, but there is a possibility that could prompt FIFA to turn to the fair play criterion to determine the identity of the leader.
According to the newspaper “Brand:This scenario involves Spain drawing with Uruguay (2-2) and Cape Verde beating Saudi Arabia 4-0.
The two teams (Spain and Cape Verde) will then be level in all major metrics when the head-to-head ends in a goalless draw, and the number of goals scored and conceded in the group stage will be identical at 6 goals to 2 each.
See the 8 criteria for breaking a tie on points under FIFA regulations
If this full tie is achieved, the fair play criterion will be applied, which depends on the number of yellow and red cards each team receives during the tournament.
The current advantage in this regard seems to be in favor of Spain, who were content with just one yellow card for Pedri in the first two rounds, while Cape Verde received three yellow cards in two different matches for López Cabral, in addition to another for Danny Borges.
The International Federation’s rules state that negative points are calculated on the fair play record: one point is deducted for each yellow card, 3 points for sending off after two cautions, 4 points for a straight sending off and 5 points for a yellow card, followed by a straight red card.
Discipline could therefore be a decisive factor in deciding the top of the group if the final round ends in a complete draw between Spain and Cape Verde in one of the rarest events in World Cup history.
Notably, the winner of Group Eight will face the runner-up of Group 10 (Algeria or Austria) in the Round of 32, while the second-placed team will play Group 10 first-placed Argentina.
