goal difference

Article summary

Goal difference, goal differential or points difference is a form of tiebreaker used to rank sport teams which finish on equal points in a league competition. Either "goal difference" or "points difference" is used, depending on whether matches are scored by goals (as in ice hockey and association football) or by points (as in rugby union and basketball). Goal difference is calculated as the number of goals scored in all league matches minus the number of goals conceded, and is sometimes known simply as plus–minus. Association football was the first sport to use goal difference as a tiebreaker, at the 1970 FIFA World Cup, the rule was adopted by the Football League in England five years later. It has since spread to many other competitions, where it is typically used as either the first or, after tying teams' head-to-head records, second tiebreaker. Goal difference is zero sum, in that a gain for one team (+1) is exactly balanced by the loss for their opponent (–1). Therefore, the sum of the goal differences in a league table is always zero (provided the teams have only played each other). Goal difference has often replaced the older goal average, or goal ratio. Goal average is the number of goals scored divided by the number of goals conceded, and is therefore a dimensionless quantity.…

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