How the English Premier League EPL Winner is Decided When Ties Occur

In the English Premier League (EPL), when multiple teams finish with the same number of points at the end of the season, a series of tiebreaker criteria are applied to determine the winner. This process ensures a fair and systematic approach to resolving ties at the top of the league table. Here's a detailed explanation of the tiebreakers:

1. Goal Difference

The most common tiebreaker is the goal difference. This is calculated by adding the number of goals scored and subtracting the number of goals conceded. The team with the higher goal difference is ranked higher. For example:

Team A: Scored 64, Conceded 16 (Goal Difference: 48) Team B: Scored 72, Conceded 35 (Goal Difference: 37)

In this scenario, Team A would take the title as their goal difference (48) is higher than Team B's (37).

2. Goals Scored

If the goal difference is the same for the teams, the tie is broken by the total number of goals scored. In the example above, if both teams had a goal difference of 48, the team with more goals scored would be ranked higher. If the number of goals scored is also equal, the next tiebreaker is applied:

3. Head-to-Head Record

The head-to-head record comes into play if the teams have played against each other in the league. The team with a better points total in these matches is ranked higher. For instance:

Team A won the match 3-2, drew 1-1 and lost 2-3 Team B won both matches 4-0 and 1-0

In this case, Team B would take the title based on their better head-to-head record, despite a lower goal difference.

4. Fair Play Record

If teams are still tied after considering goal difference and head-to-head records, the fair play record is used. This is based on the total number of yellow and red cards received. The team with the fewer cards (a cleaner record) is ranked higher. For example:

Team A: 5 yellow cards, 1 red card Team B: 7 yellow cards, 2 red cards

Team A would take the title given their cleaner fair play record.

5. Playoff

In rare cases where all other criteria do not resolve the tie, a playoff match is arranged to determine the winner. However, this step has only been necessary once in the history of the Premier League. For example, the 1992-1993 season saw the need for a playoff match to decide the final standings.

According to the officials from the Premier League website, when teams finish with the same number of points, their position in the Premier League table is determined by:

Goal Difference The number of goals scored The team that collected the most points in the head-to-head matches The team that scored the most away goals in the head-to-head matches

If all these criteria are still equal, then a one-off playoff game takes place. After thirty years of the Premier League's existence, this playoff has never been needed.

These tiebreaker criteria ensure that the winner of the EPL is determined fairly and systematically, even in the most difficult tie scenarios.