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FIFA are considering introducing penalty shoot-outs to the World Cup group stages, with successful teams potentially earning bonus points at the end of tied games at the 2026 tournament. 

The Athletic has reported that the decision to implement shootouts - either before kick-off or at full-time - in tied group stage matches in 2026 is being discussed. 

In four years time the World Cup will be held across the north American continent, with matches set to take place in each of the USA, Canada and Mexico in a trilateral tournament.

As a result there will be an extra knockout round following the groups, with the top two sides set to qualify from the 16 three-team groups - a system adopted following a unanimous FIFA vote.

Staging the shootouts after games does however give rise to potential collusion between the countries involved - something FIFA would understandably be eager to avoid. 

A situation could arise in which a particular result benefits both sides in question, and thereby eliminating the third team in the group.