Three points for a win is a standard used in many sports leagues and group tournaments, especially in

association football Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

, in which 3 points are awarded to the team winning a match, with no points awarded to the losing team. If the game is drawn, each team receives 1 point. Many leagues and competitions originally awarded 2 points for a win and 1 point for a draw, before switching to the three points for a win system. The change is significant in league tables, where teams typically play 30–40 games per season. The system places additional value on wins compared to draws so that teams with a higher number of wins may rank higher in tables than teams with a lower number of wins but more draws.

Rationale

"Three points for a win" is supposed to encourage more attacking play than "two points for a win", as teams will not settle for a draw if the prospect of gaining two extra points (by playing for a late winning goal) outweighs the prospect of losing 1 point by conceding a late goal to lose the match. A second rationale is that it may prevent collusion amongst teams needing only a draw to advance in a tournament or avoid relegation. A commentator has stated that it has resulted in more "positive, attacking play". However, critics suggest teams with a one-goal lead late in a match become more defensive in order to defend a lead. In addition, the overall competitive balance decreases in favour of top teams. The average number of goals per match in Turkey's top football division has risen significantly since the change to three points for a win. The three-point system in ice hockey – in the Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Russia, Switzerland and Sweden – had no effect on the number of goals scored. The same conclusion can be made for relative number of ties.

Implications

Changing the scoring system may (or may not) change how a game is played, and it may change the results in a tournament even if there is no change in the way the game is played. One key outcome is when an overall result is different under three points for a win (W3) compared to what it would have been under 2 points for a win (W2), for example in a four team round robin where the team who with 1W-1D-1L ranks higher than the team with three draws under W3, while the two teams are equal under W2. In the third round of games of a round robin with these potential outcomes, strategy will likely be different under W3 compared to if W2 was in place.

FIFA World Cup groups stage examples

For a four team round robin such as in the group stages of

FIFA World Cup The FIFA World Cup, often called the World Cup, is an international association football competition among the senior List of men's national association football teams, men's national teams of the members of the FIFA, Fédération Internatio ...

s, under three points for a win (W3) there are 40 combinations e.g. 9-6-3-0 with each team being able to score from zero up to 9 points (with 8 the only score that cannot be scored), while under 2 points for a win (W2) there are 16 possible combinations of final standings points e.g. 6-4-2-0 with each team potentially able to score up to 6 points. Five of the 40 W3 combinations yield potentially different placings if the scoring system was W2. These are listed below, including the only 3 cases these combinations have occurred in FIFA World Cup group stages: # W3 6-5-4-1 would be W2 4-4-3-1. Looking at the top 2 teams, W3 1st (2 wins and 1 loss) ranks above W3 2nd (1 win & 2 draws). Under W2 these two teams are equal on 4 points and their rank is based on goal difference and other ranking criteria. In Group D of the 1998 FIFA World Cup Nigeria placed 1st with 6 points ahead of Paraguay with 5 points but Paraguay had the better goal difference, so the Group order of the two qualifying teams would have been reversed under W2. Both teams lost in their Round of 16 knockout games. # W3 4-4-4-3 would be W2 3-3-3-3. Under W3 the top 3 teams each had 1 win, 1 draw and 1 loss and ranked above W3 4th who had 3 draws (and therefore goal difference = 0). Under W2 all 4 teams have equal points and so would be ranked on goal difference and other ranking criteria. # W3 7-4-3-1 would be W2 5-3-3-1. Looking at the middle two teams, W3 2nd (1 win, 1 loss & 1 draw) rank above W3 3rd (3 draws and therefore had a goal difference = 0). Under W2 these two teams are equal on 3 points and their rank is based on goal difference and other ranking criteria. In Group D of the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup (the group of death of that tournament) Australia finished second and Sweden third in the group. Both teams had 4 goals for and 4 goals against and in their final group match drew 1–1 against each other. Therefore under W2 they would have been equal under all the ranking criteria, so their group standing would have been judged on drawing lots. Sweden still qualified as a third place team under W3 but lost to Germany 1–4 in the Round of 16, whereas Australia played Brazil and won 1–0, then in the quarter finals lost 0–1 to Japan, the eventual runner-up. # W3 5-4-3-2 would be W2 4-3-3-2. Exactly as the W3 7-4-3-1 case above, looking at the middle two teams, W3 2nd (1 win, 1 loss & 1 draw) rank above W3 3rd (3 draws and therefore had a goal difference = 0). Under W2 these two teams are equal on 3 points and their rank is based on goal difference and other ranking criteria. In Group F of the 2010 FIFA World Cup Slovakia finished 2nd with a -1 goal difference (their win causing 5th-ranked Italy's early World Cup exit), while New Zealand finished 3rd with 0 goal difference having played three draws. Therefore New Zealand would have advanced to the Round of 16 under W2 and so would have had their most successful World Cup (they have never advanced from the group stage). Instead, under W3, Slovakia advanced, losing to Netherlands 1–2 in the Round of 16. # W3 7-4-3-2 would be W2 5-3-2-2. Looking at the two bottom ranked teams, W3 3rd (1 win and two losses) ranks above W3 4th (2 draws and a loss). Under W2 these two teams are equal on 2 points and their rank would be based on goal difference and other ranking criteria.

History

The system was proposed for the

English Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional association football, football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, it is the oldest football league in Association football around the world, the w ...

(then known as The Football League) by

Jimmy Hill James William Thomas Hill, Order of the British Empire, OBE (22 July 1928 – 19 December 2015) was an English football in England, footballer and later a television personality. His career included almost every role in the sport, including pla ...

. It was introduced in England in 1981, but did not attract much use elsewhere until it was used in the 1994 World Cup finals. In 1995, FIFA formally adopted the system, and it subsequently became standard in international tournaments, as well as most national football leagues. In the mid to late 1990s, leagues and governing bodies in the sports of ice hockey, field hockey, volleyball, water polo, bandy, floorball, camogie, and Gaelic football would start adopting the 3 points for a win system. Variations on the original 3 points for a win, 1 point for a tie, 0 zero points for a loss were invented. For example, in ice hockey where overtime/shootouts are used determine the winner for every game, at the end of Regulation teams earn 3 points for a win, 1 point for a tie, and 0 points for a loss, with the winner of overtime/shootouts earning an additional point for a total of two earned in the game. This means once a winner is decided, the point system is 3 points for a regulation win, 2 points for an overtime/shootout win, 1 point for an overtime/shootout loss, and 0 points for a regulation loss.

Association football

This lists association football leagues where the standard is 3 points for a win in regulation time, 1 point for a draw, zero for a defeat. The year given is when the relevant season started. * 1981:

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

* 1982:

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

* 1983: New Zealand (NSL) * 1984:

Iceland Iceland is a Nordic countries, Nordic island country between the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between North America and Europe. It is culturally and politically linked with Europe and is the regi ...

* 1986:

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...

* 1987:

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

* 1988:

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

,RSSSF - Norwegian First division 1988
"A 3-1-0 point scheme was used for the first time."

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

* 1990:

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

* 1991:

Cyprus Cyprus (), officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Situated in West Asia, its cultural identity and geopolitical orientation are overwhelmingly Southeast European. Cyprus is the List of isl ...

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

* 1992:

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

* 1993: Belgium (Div. 2),

Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

,Previously applied experimentally in 1982-3, following the trial of a 4 away win, 3 home win, 2 away draw, 1 home draw system in 1981-2. Se
(Republic of) Ireland League Tables
Italy (Serie C1 and Serie C2) * 1994:

Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...

Estonia Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia, is a country in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, and to the east by Ru ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

(after a trial in 1988–89),

Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...

, Italy (

Serie A The Serie A (), officially known as Serie A Enilive in Italy and Serie A Made in Italy abroad for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Italy and the highest tier of the Italian football league system. Establish ...

and

Serie B The Serie B (), officially known as Serie BKT for sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie A. It has been operating for over ninety years since the 1929–30 season. It had b ...

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

(after a trial in 1984–85),

Kazakhstan Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a landlocked country primarily in Central Asia, with a European Kazakhstan, small portion in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the Kazakhstan–Russia border, north and west, China to th ...

Malta Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Sicily and North Africa. It consists of an archipelago south of Italy, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. The two ...

Moldova Moldova, officially the Republic of Moldova, is a Landlocked country, landlocked country in Eastern Europe, with an area of and population of 2.42 million. Moldova is bordered by Romania to the west and Ukraine to the north, east, and south. ...

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

Slovakia Slovakia, officially the Slovak Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the west, and the Czech Republic to the northwest. Slovakia's m ...

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

, AFC (1994–95 Asian Club Championship), FIFA (1994 FIFA World Cup) and UEFA (UEFA Euro 1996 qualifying) * 1995:

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

Armenia Armenia, officially the Republic of Armenia, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of West Asia. It is a part of the Caucasus region and is bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia (country), Georgia to the north and Azerbaijan to ...

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

Azerbaijan Azerbaijan, officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, is a Boundaries between the continents, transcontinental and landlocked country at the boundary of West Asia and Eastern Europe. It is a part of the South Caucasus region and is bounded by ...

Belarus Belarus, officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east and northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Belarus spans an a ...

, Belgium (Div. 1),

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

Faroe Islands The Faroe Islands ( ) (alt. the Faroes) are an archipelago in the North Atlantic Ocean and an autonomous territory of the Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark. Located between Iceland, Norway, and the United Kingdom, the islands have a populat ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

, Italy (

Lega Nazionale Dilettanti The Lega Nazionale Dilettanti (National Amateur League) is the league which rules amateur football of Italian Football Federation (FIGC) in Italy. Founded in 1959 in Rome, it has many leagues inside: a national league, the Inter-regional Committ ...

Latvia Latvia, officially the Republic of Latvia, is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is one of the three Baltic states, along with Estonia to the north and Lithuania to the south. It borders Russia to the east and Belarus to t ...

Lithuania Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, P ...

Luxembourg Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a landlocked country in Western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France on the south. Its capital and most populous city, Luxembour ...

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

Slovenia Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a country in Central Europe. It borders Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the south and southeast, and a short (46.6 km) coastline within the Adriati ...

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

Uruguay Uruguay, officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay, is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast, while bordering the Río de la Plata to the south and the A ...

, CONMEBOL (Copa América), CONMEBOL (Copa Libertadores) and UEFA (UEFA Champions League) * 1996: AFC (1996 AFC Asian Cup qualification), CAF (African Cup of Nations), UEFA (UEFA Euro 1996) and AFC (1996 AFC Asian Cup)

Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a professional Association football, soccer league in North America and the highest level of the United States soccer league system. It comprises 30 teams, with 27 in the United States and 3 in Canada, and is sanc ...

, based in the United States and Canada, has awarded three points for a win since its first season of 1996, but initially held a penalty shootout at the end of regulation draws, awarding 1 point to the winner of the shootout and none to the loser. Since 2000, it has allowed ties/draws to stand in the regular season, and follows the international standard of awarding 1 point for a draw.USA - Major League Soccer
Scoring system:
2000–present: 3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss.
1996-1999: Three points for a win, 1 point for a shootout win, 0 points for a shootout loss, 0 for a loss.. Since 2023 The

Leagues Cup The Leagues Cup is an annual soccer competition between clubs from Major League Soccer (MLS), the main soccer league in the United States, and Liga MX, the main soccer league in Mexico. It is hosted in Canada and the United States. It began in ...

between

MLS Major League Soccer (MLS) is a professional soccer league in North America and the highest level of the United States soccer league system. It comprises 30 teams, with 27 in the United States and 3 in Canada, and is sanctioned by the United ...

and

Liga MX Liga MX, also known as Liga BBVA MX for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Mexico and the highest level of the Mexican football league system. Formerly known as Liga Mayor (1943–1949) and also as Primera Divis ...

uses 3 points for a regulation win, 2 points for a shootout win, 1 point for a shootout loss, 0 for a regulation loss point system in the group stage.

Ice hockey

Many ice hockey leagues use the 3 points for a regulation win, 2 points for an overtime/shootout win, 1 point for overtime/shootout loss, 0 points for a regulation loss as a way to incentivize teams to win in regulation thus causing more attacking play. Listed below are the years that ice hockey leagues and associations have adopted and abandoned a 3 points for a win system. *1998:

(3 points for a regulation win, 2 points for an Overtime/Shootout win, 1 point for Overtime/Shootout loss, 0 points for a regulation loss) *1999:

(3 points for a regulation win, 2 points for an Overtime/Shootout win, 1 point for Overtime/Shootout loss, 0 points for a regulation loss), Russia men's (3 points for regulation win, 2 points for an Overtime win, 1 point for a tie or overtime loss, 0 points for regulation loss) *2000: Czechia,

(3 points for regulation win, 2 points for an Overtime win, 1 point for a tie or overtime loss, 0 points for regulation loss), Russia women's (3 points for Win, 1 point for a tie, 0 points for loss) *2001:

(abandonment), Russia women's(3 points for regulation win, 2 points for an Overtime win, 1 point for a tie or overtime loss, 0 points for regulation loss) *2002:

(3 points for regulation win, 2 points for an Overtime win, 1 point for a tie, 0 points for any loss) *2003 Japan/South Korea, *2004:

(3 points for regulation win, 2 points for an Overtime win, 1 point for a tie or overtime loss, 0 points for regulation loss),

(3 points for a regulation win, 2 points for an Overtime/Shootout win, 1 point for Overtime/Shootout loss, 0 points for a regulation loss) *2006:

, Czechia (3 points for a regulation win, 2 points for an Overtime/Shootout win, 1 point for Overtime/Shootout loss, 0 points for a regulation loss),

(3 points for a regulation win,2 Overtime/Shootout win, 0 points for any loss) *2007:

IIHF The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF; ; ) is a worldwide governing body for ice hockey. It is based in Zurich, Switzerland, and has 84 member countries. The IIHF maintains the IIHF World Ranking based on international ice hockey tourn ...

(3 points for a regulation win, 2 points for an Overtime/Shootout win, 1 point for Overtime/Shootout loss, 0 points for a regulation loss) *2008:

(3 points for a regulation win, 2 points for an Overtime/Shootout win, 1 point for Overtime/Shootout loss, 0 points for a regulation loss) *2009: CCHA (USA men's collegiate) (3 points for a Regulation/Overtime win, 2 points for a Shootout win, 1 point for Shootout loss, 0 points for a Regulation/Overtime loss) *2015:

(3 points for a regulation win, 2 points for an Overtime/Shootout win, 1 point for Overtime/Shootout loss, 0 points for a regulation loss) *2018: KHL (Russia men's) (abandonment). *2020: Hockey Commissioners Association-affiliated conferences (most NCAA SA collegiate *2023: PWHL (North American women's) (3 points for a regulation win, 2 points for an Overtime/Shootout win, 1 point for Overtime/Shootout loss, 0 points for a regulation loss)

Bandy

The Russian Bandy Super League Started using 3 points for a win, 1 point for a tie, 0 for a loss point system for the Preliminary round in 1995. In 1996 the 3 points for a win, 1 point for a tie, 0 for a loss point system was adopted for all rounds.

Field Hockey

Since 1998 FIH has used the 3 points for a win, 1 point for a tie, 0 for a loss point system.

Water Polo

The

FINA Water Polo World League The FINA Water Polo World League was an international water polo league organized by FINA (now World Aquatics), which played annually, typically from winter through to June. League play featured continental tournaments for men and women, from wh ...

used the 3 points for a regulation win,1 point for tie, 0 points for a regulation loss point system in 2003 and 3 points for a regulation win, 2 points for a Shootout win, 1 point for Shootout loss, 0 points for a regulation loss point system from 2004 to 2022.In 2023 FINA Water Polo World League was ended and both the men's and women's World cup adopted the 3 points for a regulation win, 2 points for a Shootout win, 1 point for Shootout loss, 0 points for a regulation loss point system. At The 2024 Summer Olympics tournament will use the 3 points for a regulation win, 2 points for a Shootout win, 1 point for Shootout loss, 0 points for a regulation loss point system.

Camogie

The All-Ireland Senior Camogie Championship adopted 3 points for a win, 1 point for a tie, 0 for a loss point system in 2016.

Ladies' Gaelic football

Since 2020 The

Ladies' Gaelic Football Association The Ladies' Gaelic Football Association () is the main governing body for ladies' Gaelic football. It organises competitions such as the All-Ireland Senior Ladies' Football Championship and the Ladies' National Football League. Foundation Th ...

currently uses the 3 points for a win, 1 point for a tie, 0 for a loss point system for all competitions.

Volleyball

In FIVB Summer Olympics & World Championship adopted the match point system of 3 points for winning in three or four sets, 2 points for winning in five sets, 1 point for losing in five sets, 0 points for losing in three or four sets in 2011.Since 2016 matches won has been the primary ranking method with the match point system being first tiebreaker.

Floorball

* 1999

(3 points for a regulation win, 2 points for an overtime win,1 point for overtime loss, 0 points for a regulation loss) *2018:

(3 points for a regulation win, 2 points for an overtime win,1 point for overtime loss, 0 points for a regulation loss)

Variants

Some leagues have used shootout tiebreakers after drawn matches.

(1996–2000) used three points for a win, 1 point for a shootout win, no points for a loss in any fashion (including shootouts). The

Norwegian First Division The Norwegian First Division, also called 1. divisjon () and OBOS-ligaen (due to sponsoring ties with :no:OBOS, OBOS), is the second-highest level of the Norwegian football league system. Each year, the top finishing teams in the 1. divisjon ...

(in 1987) and the

Campeonato Brasileiro Série A The Campeonato Brasileiro Série A (; English: "Brazilian Championship A Series"), commonly referred to as the Brasileirão (; English: "Big Brazilian" or "Great Brazilian"), the Série A or the Brazilian Série A (to distinguish it from the I ...

and its lower divisions (in 1988) used three points for a win, 2 points for a shootout win, 1 point for a shootout loss, none for a loss.RSSSF - Norwegian First division 1987
"A 3-2-1-0 point scheme with drawn matches decided on penalties was used."
"The winner of the match earned 3 points, the winner of a penalties shootouts after a draw earned 2, and the loser of the penalties shootouts earned only 1 point." The same system is adopted in the group stages of the 2016–17 EFL Trophy and 2016–17 Scottish League Cup onward (in both cases, no extra time will be played). The Iraqi Premier League has used two different variants of this system. The first was in the 1988–89 season, where 3 points were awarded for a win by two or more goals (after normal or extra time), 2 points were awarded for a one-goal win (after normal or extra time), 1 point was awarded for a penalty shootout win and zero points were awarded for penalty shootout defeats or defeats after normal or extra time. The second variant was used in the 1994–95 season, where 3 points were awarded for a one-goal or two-goal win, but four points were awarded for a win by three or more goals. In the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

, a system described as "the three point win" was proposed in 2004, with three points for a win in regulation time, two for a win in

overtime Overtime is the amount of time someone works beyond normal working hours. The term is also used for the pay received for this time. Normal hours may be determined in several ways: *by custom (what is considered healthy or reasonable by society) ...

, and one for a tie. This proposal was put on hold by the 2004–05 NHL lock-out and subsequently rejected by team owners in February 2007. Instead the NHL awards 2 points for a win in regulation or overtime/shootout, 1 point for an overtime or shootout loss, and none for a regulation loss. International competitions run by the

International Ice Hockey Federation The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF; ; ) is a worldwide governing body for ice hockey. It is based in Zurich, Switzerland, and has 84 member countries. The IIHF maintains the IIHF World Ranking based on international ice hockey to ...

award three points for a win in regulation time and zero points for a loss. Games in IIHF competitions are not allowed to end in ties; if a game is tied after regulation each team is awarded 1 point and a sudden-death overtime followed by a shootout (if necessary) is played, with the winner awarded an extra point (for a total of 2 points). In 2009, the

Central Collegiate Hockey Association The Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) is a college athletic conference in the Midwestern United States that participates in the NCAA's Division I as a hockey-only conference. The current CCHA began play in the 2021–22 season; a previ ...

adopted a system of 3 points for a regulation or overtime win, two for a shootout win, one for a shootout loss, and none for a regulation or overtime loss. The

uses a similar system for its competitions, awarding three points for a win in regulation, 2 points for a win in overtime or shootout, 1 point for a loss in overtime or shootout, and no points for a loss in regulation.

References

{{Reflist

External links

NHL Standings Under Three Point System

Guardian commentary 2009
Three points Terminology used in multiple sports Tournament systems