Three-points: Over 40 years of the three-point system

A history of the three-point system in football

Three points for a win in football seems as old as time itself. Many football fans grew up with the concept of three points for a win, one for a draw and zero points for a loss.

Yet, fans may not realise three points for a win is a newer concept.

FIFA, the governing body of world football, didn't adopt the three points for-a-win rule until after the 1994 World Cup.

The system was adopted by the organisation in 1995, less than 30 years ago.

Today, three points for a win is standard in football leagues, tournaments and events around the world. But where did the idea of three points for a win come from? Find out in this article!

England pioneer the three-point rule

Before the three points for a win became universal in football, teams received two points for a victory and one point for a draw.

The points system didn’t necessarily reward a team significantly for winning. A loss during the two-point system didn’t rule a club out of the title race.

A bad run of form could easily be overcome by a good team allowing them to win the title.  

The issue with the two-point system was the style of football it encouraged. Teams played defensive, negative football.

A draw was seen as a much better result for strong teams than it is today. Teams were more likely to settle for a point rather than go for wins.

It was theorised that the three-point system would provide more exciting matches and attacking play. But it wasn’t the only theory behind the system.

There was a belief that teams “worked” together if a single point helped both clubs achieve their ultimate goal. Therefore, clubs could “fix” a match.

Moreover, there was hope for more goals per match.  

The English Football Association introduced the three-point system to domestic competitions for 1981-82.

The man behind the creation of the system was legendary player, manager, director and all-around renaissance man Jimmy Hill.

Hill is credited with several innovations, but the three-point system may be his greatest.

The start of three points

England began using three points for a win in 1981-82. However, leagues around the world were slow to follow.

It was a decade later that Italy, France, Spain and other leagues around the world adopted the system.

It wasn’t until the 1994 World Cup that a FIFA tournament awarded three points for a win. USA ‘94 changed a lot about football and the points system was one aspect that was altere.

The expansive, exciting play at the tournament impressed onlookers. World Cup 1994 is often cited as the “best” tournament in the competition’s history.

The 1994 World Cup may not actually be the best, but USA ‘94 benefited from the previous edition of the World Cup.

The difference between the two events was night and day, and not just in the number of points a team got for a win.

The tournaments were the difference between football at the end of the 1980s and what football would become in the 2000s.

The 1990 World Cup was one of the most negative in the tournament’s history. The defensive play at Italia ‘90 left many fans unhappy.

Four years later, three goals for a win promoted more attacking play.

Is the three-point system a better approach?

The 1994 World Cup was the first to use the new three-point win system instead of the old two-points-for-a-win approach that had been favoured previously.

After Italia ’90, which some fans felt lacked the attacking flair of previous World Cups, the new system was used during the group stage as a way of motivating teams to play a more attacking style of play.

Teams combined for 141 goals for an average of 2.71 goals per match.

In contrast, Italia ‘90 had 115 goals scored for an average of 2.21 goals per match.

Despite the number of goals scored at USA ‘94, the tournament didn’t set a new record for scoring. Espana ‘82 had 146 goals in 52 matches.

It has now been over 40 years since the English Football Association adopted the three-point system. It is debatable whether the three-point system has improved football around the world.

Some people will claim the system makes football better. However, some critics would argue otherwise.

Manchester United fans have a reason to want the two-point system.

In 1994-95, the Red Devils were pipped to the Premier League title by Blackburn Rovers. Manchester United would have won the league on goal difference rather than losing it by one point.

In Spain, Barcelona would have pipped Real Madrid to the Primera title in 2006-07.

Real Madrid won on the final day of the season thanks to an inspired performance spurred on by the outgoing David Beckham.  

Is the three-point system ruining modern football? This is another debatable question. The two-point system could make the league title race closer in multiple leagues around the world.

Manchester City would have secured 64 league points during the 2021-22 season. Liverpool would have also finished with 64 points to end the season level with City.

However, Man City would have still won the title thanks to a +5-goal difference. However, the system could have placed more pressure on the two teams, completely altering the results.

The two-point system could make the title race closer at the end of every season. In addition, two points for a win could inspire teams to score goals and win matches rather than draw them, the exact reason it was removed.

Teams would try to put distance between themselves and their rivals by playing attacking football.

Final Thoughts

It is difficult to believe that the three-point system wasn’t accepted universally.

It is a ubiquitous part of modern football, yet took over a decade to become adopted by leagues around the globe.

Today, there is a lot of talk about changing football to make it more exciting and to attract new fans.

Many of the proposed rule changes such as shortening the game, removing headers and changing throw-ins to kick-ins are seen as ways to make the sport more exciting for fans.

However, the way to make football more exciting may be simpler. The excitement could be improved by making title races closer by returning to the two-point system.