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Three points for a win is a standard used in many sports leagues and group tournaments, especially in football (soccer), in which three (rather than two) points are awarded to the team winning a match, with no points to the losing team. If the game is drawn, each team receives one point.

The system was proposed for the English Football League by Jimmy Hill^[1] to encourage attacking play; previously, the conventional wisdom for managers was to draw away matches and win home games. The idea is that, if the score is level near the end of a game, 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 one point (by conceding a late goal to lose the match). However, critics suggest teams with a one-goal lead late in a match become more negative to defend the lead.^[2]

The system was introduced in England in 1981,^[2] but did not attract much use elsewhere until it was used in the 1994 World Cup finals. The following year, FIFA formally adopted the system,^[2] and it subsequently became standard in international tournaments, as well as most national football leagues.

In the National Hockey League in North America, 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, and one for a tie. This proposal was put on hold by the 2004-05 NHL lockout and subsequently rejected by team owners in February 2007.^[3]

The year given is when the relevant season started.

• 1981: England
• 1982: Israel^[4]
• 1983: New Zealand (NSL)^[5]
• 1987: Turkey, Norway^[6]
• 1992: Greece^[7]
• 1993: Belgium (Div. 2), Bulgaria^[8], Rep. Ireland^[9], Italy (Serie C)
• 1994: Croatia^[10], Czech Rep., France, Hungary, Italy (Serie A), Romania, Scotland
• 1995: Argentina, Austria, Belgium (Div. 1), Brazil, Colombia, Denmark, Germany, Mexico, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Uruguay
• 2000: United States^[11]

• Group tournament ranking system describes other, more complicated systems

1. ^ Kelly, Graham (2003-06-09). FA should stand firm against proposed new rules on imports. The Independent. Retrieved on 2007-01-04.
2. ^ ^{a b c} Leapman, Ben (2005-09-15). How three points for a win has fouled up football. Evening Standard. Retrieved on 2007-01-04.
3. ^ NHL general managers give universal thumbs down to three-point wins. Canadian Press (February 21 2007). Retrieved on 2007-03-02.
4. ^ Israel - List of Final Tables
5. ^ New Zealand - Final Tables National Soccer League
6. ^ The Norwegian First Division employed a system of penalty shootouts in case of a drawn game, where an extra point was awarded to the winner. Thus, a team could gain 3, 2, 1 or 0 points. From 1988 onwards, the 3–1–0 system was used
7. ^ Greece - Final Tables 1959-1999
8. ^ Bulgaria Championship History 1924-1997
9. ^ 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. See (Republic of) Ireland League Tables
10. ^ Croatia - Prva HNL
11. ^ Before 2000, MLS gave 3 points for a win, but used shootout tiebreakers for drawn matches. USA - Major League Soccer

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