The new "FIFA" rules turn the tables.

The Mexico and United States national teams, co-hosts with Canada for the World Cup, have become the first beneficiaries of the new regulations regarding the ranking of teams in the group stage; while the national teams of Haiti and Turkey were the first victims of these rules.

Both the Mexican and American teams secured the top spot in their groups; meanwhile, Haiti and Turkey's exit from the tournament was confirmed in last place, after FIFA adopted direct encounters as the first criterion for breaking ties in points instead of goal difference.

In short, any team can secure the top position in its group after just two rounds if it wins both matches and leads by three points over its closest competitor, instead of needing a four-point lead as was the case previously, provided it has won against that competitor in their direct encounter.

Accordingly, Mexico cannot be displaced from the top of Group A even if it loses its final match against the Czech Republic and South Korea wins against South Africa.

In this scenario, both the Mexican and South Korean teams would be tied with six points each; however, Mexico would have the advantage due to its victory in their direct encounter with a score of 1-0.

The same rule applies to Group D, where the United States cannot be moved from the top, despite Australia or Paraguay having the chance to reach six points; because the American team has outperformed both teams in their previous encounters.

In the same way, Turkey's exit from Group D is confirmed; as it lost to both Australia and Paraguay, who are ahead of it by three points. The same rule also applies to Haiti in Group C, after losing to Scotland.

The new rule implemented by FIFA aligns with the system that has been in place for years in UEFA competitions.

This may mean that large victories, such as Germany's 7-1 win over Curacao or Sweden's 5-1 win over Tunisia, have become less valuable than before; because goal difference is only counted if the direct encounter between the two teams tied on points ends in a draw.

Conversely, this system seems to increase the likelihood that some matches in the final round will lose part of their competitive significance; for instance, the match between the United States and Turkey in Group D has now become irrelevant to the standings, which may reduce its appeal to fans. This likelihood increases with the possibility that Mauricio Pochettino, the U.S. coach, may rest several of his key players in preparation for the knockout stages.