GlossaryReading any table
Head-to-head tie-breaker
A head-to-head tie-breaker settles level teams by looking only at the results of the matches they played against each other, rather than their overall records.
When teams finish level on points, competitions apply a defined order of tie-breakers. Some (like the Premier League) use goal difference first; others (like the Champions League group stage and La Liga) use head-to-head results first. Knowing which order a competition uses explains why a team with a worse goal difference can still rank higher.
See it in the numbers
Open the spreadsheet and watch this appear in live scores and standings — disguised as work.
Related terms
How to read a league table
A league table ranks teams by points; the columns to its right show how those points were earned — games played, wins, draws, losses, goals for and against, and goal difference.
How points work (3-1-0)
In most football leagues a win is worth 3 points, a draw 1 and a loss 0; the team with the most points at the end of the season wins the title.
Form (the W-D-L run)
Form is a team's recent results shown as a short string of letters — W for a win, D for a draw, L for a loss — usually the last five games, most recent last.
FT, HT, AET, ET, Pens
FT means full time (the match is over), HT half time, ET extra time, AET 'after extra time', and Pens a result decided on penalties.