How does it all work: Looking at the World Cup rules (Feature)

By George Burns May 26, 2010, 5:01 GMT

Berlin - For most football fans the World Cup starts simply enough: Your team plays matches, your team wins and your team advances.

That is the best case scenario.

There is, however, also the scenario where calculators and looking eagerly at the results from other matches comes into play. That is when the rules become important.

The format and rules for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa will remain as they were for Germany four years ago after FIFA president Joseph Blatter ruled out the possibility of the introduction of a fifth referee or any kind of video technology.

The Europa League has experimented with a fifth referee this season and there were calls for the use of video technology after the unnoticed handball by Thierry Henry in the run-up to William Gallas' play-off winning goal for France against Ireland.

However, Blatter made clear ahead of last December's draw in Cape Town that there will be no change in refereeing this summer.

'This is for 2010 definite, it will not be discussed,' he said.

The 32-team format initially introduced in 1998 remains unchanged, with the teams drawn into eight groups of four from which the top two from the round robin play advance.

The standings are decided by greater number of points obtained in all group matches and then the goal difference in all group matches. If teams can still not be separated, the greatest number of goals scored in all group matches shall be taken into consideration.

If two, or more teams are still level using the above criteria, their place will be decided by greater number of points obtained in the group matches between the teams concerned, goal difference resulting from the group matches between the teams concerned and the greater number of goals scored in the group matches between the teams concerned.

Thereafter lots shall be drawn by the World Cup organizing committee.

Hosts South Africa have been placed at the top of group A, meaning they will play in the opening match against Mexico on June 11, 2010, in Soccer City, Johannesburg.

The group stage is followed by the knockout stage, consisting of the round of 16, quarter-finals, semi-finals, the third-place game and the July 11, 2010, final in Soccer City.

If a knockout round match is tied after 90 minutes of regulation, two 30-minute periods of extra-time are added. If the game is still tied, a penalty shootout follows.

There have been 20 penalty shoot-outs in World Cup history since 1982. Germany have a perfect 4-0 record while Italy lost on the first three occasions - the 1990 semi-finals with Argentina, 1994 final with Brazil and 1998 quarter-final with France - before beating France in the 2006 final in Berlin.

The 1994 final was the only other final in World Cup history decided on penalties. Four years earlier both semi-finals went to a shootout.

No match at the World Cup finals has ever been decided by lot, but the method was used to place Ireland and the Netherlands in the final group standings in 1990 after both finished tied on three points and a goal difference of 2-2 apiece.