for those wondering why 3-0, it's based on tournament points scoring. you get 3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, a point for each goal (maximum of 3 points for goals) per game, and an additional point for the shutout. so, each game in tournament scoring is worth 7 points. after all of those points are added, goal differentials can come into consideration for tie breakers.
Unless you're talking about some extremely niche tournament, that's not how it works at all, in football at least. In the majority of league systems you get 3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw and that's it. If you are level on points with another team in your group after all games are played then there will be strictly defined rules for that tournament to separate the teams, often a combination of the following in some order of precedence:
- head-to-head results between tied teams
- total goal difference, i.e. sum(goals_scored) - sum(goals_conceded) across all games
- total goals scored across all games
- disciplinary record (number of yellow/red cards awarded against players)
If teams still cannot be separated, it'll fall back on something as simple and cruel as a coin-toss - though maybe they could go to extra time and penalties if the tied teams are playing each other in the last game. Maybe you're thinking of situations like rugby where you can get a "bonus point" games in group stages by scoring 4 tries or keeping the losing margin down to a handful of points.
In any case, I can't give a good reason as to why 3-0 is usually the score given for a walkover - I think it's just generally considered to be a convincing win that isn't too over-the-top.
Throughout my life, I've been a player, coach, and referee. In each of those roles, I have been in tournaments where this was the way the tournament was scored.
Edit:
>though maybe they could go to extra time and penalties
As a referee, when a tournament is on the last day, it is not uncommon to hear various tournament officials saying within earshot of the refs "we need winners". This is of course a plausible deniability way of saying "be generous with penalties".
> Throughout my life, I've been a player, coach, and referee. In each of those roles, I have been in tournaments where this was the way the tournament was scored.
Where? I've never seen or heard of this scoring system being used in continental Europe (not even in the little kids leagues), and it's also not what's used in the professional tournaments (World Cup, Euros, Copa America, Champions League, etc).
It might just be something that is very common somewhere or at some level (dunno where), but it's pretty alien to the pair of us and would be for most/all of continental Europe at the very least.
In what country and in what sport? Was it younger kids, maybe? I'm not doubting you, I'm genuinely curious because this is incredibly bizarre to me. I dug around on wikipedia and found a couple of dozen examples of some unusual points scoring given[0] but only a handful of smaller US leagues long in the past featured this bonus-points-per-goal system, and seemingly only ever for a short period (experiment?)
Thinking about it, bonus points are maybe a fun way to spice up small-sided games. I think there'd be uproar if it was considered for anything beyond that though :)
Between actually getting work done and looking for a way to provide an answer, I've had a hard time getting a link to send.
The closest I've come is a scoring method called 10 Point System where it's slight different in W=6 points, D=3 points, bonus point per goal (max 3), bonus point for shut out. So I could have mis-remembered the points I initially stated. It's been 10+ years since I've participated in those tourneys.
The world is a much bigger place than central Europe and people do things differently in those other places. Not everyone plays with the exact rules like those house rules in Monopoly. In UIL soccer (governing body for Texas High School sports), the rules get totally goofy. First, the center referee has to make hand signals similar to American Football refs by winding the clock to indicate to the clock operator to start the clock, crossing the arms above their head to indicate to STOP the clock (WTF!!), free substitution so a player can be brought back onto the field after being subbed off, players must be subbed when issued a yellow card and allowed to come back on at a later time (thought to allow teenagers to cool down before escalating hormones get the better of them), indirect free kicks awarded to team in possession in lieu of drop ball restarts. Those are the main ones that I remember. Oh, and in UIL, there is a referee system called Duals where you have 2 officials on the field and both have whistles. They each run a diagonal system in their respective half. This is used when not enough officials are available to do the traditional center + 2 assistants
That's cool, I had absolutely no idea! So while I may have suggested in other comments that I didn't love European FAs fiddling with the offside rule and VAR, I do appreciate a bit of innovation and creativity and it sounds like the US is willing to experiment which is great to see. I happily retract my earlier confident assertion about how points work in groups/leagues :)
On another note, I've really enjoyed seeing the game over there going from strength to strength, I hope you're enjoying it too and continue to stay involved at some level!
Just to tack on more as I've knocked some cobwebs loose, the UIL also did their penalty shoot outs similar to hockey where the ball was put in play some 20 yards out and the attacker allowed to dribble the ball and the keeper was allowed to challenge. In the early days of the MLS, they did this as well. When MLS did away with that non-sense, the UIL followed as well.
US Soccer (official FIFA member) was apparently so concerned that soccer would not be accepted that they were willing to experiment with rules to make things more "exciting". UIL did things because Texas is just so entrenched with Friday Night Lights football, that things had to be brought into alignment with their understanding (tongue planted firmly in cheek). After all, it is using their field! Also, the organization of officials in UIL sports (Texas Association of Sports Officials - TASO) is kind of weird. Once you become an official of one sport, you can easily become an official of another sport with no experience necessary. Naturally, a lot of the throwball referees crossed over to football officiating in the early days. As the UIL game garnered more respect, better officials started to make their way, but the rules are still some mishmash hybrid gene spliced 100% GMO'd version.
Ahhh I see, so some of the experiments might have not even been deliberate in the end. Either way that's an interesting bit of history, I'm glad to have learned about it!
I'm about to re-enter the game aged 37 years old (not played in ~1.5 yrs) this weekend with trials for a little local very-very minor team here. No idea how it'll go but I'm curious to see if my legs can carry me for one more season :D
it was never the legs that failed, but it was always the gut/diaphragm. as a defender, i'd make sure that the run we're about to make when that ball comes over the top was done at my pace using all of the dark arts i could muster.
The user also made another comment detailing some interesting reasons why some rules may have come about. Definitely some interesting stuff, even if I don't think it'd be too palatable back home.
It's a good question but I don't think there's any good answer other than "1-0 or 2-0 doesn't feel like punishment enough". Interesingly, for two-legged cup competitions a forfeit likely won't result in a 3-0 loss, but a disqualification instead. So if you're winning 4-0 or 5-0 and can't be bothered showing up for the return fixture, you can't just forfeit and win 4-3 or 5-3 on aggregate, you have to fulfil the fixture.
And additionally, not showing up for a game might not even cause you to forfeit. Estonia didn't turn up to a European Qualifier against my national team, we didn't get a walkover and had to replay (which we won 1-0): https://twitter.com/90sfootball/status/1297216969326780416
I've officiated games where the weather was lousy (our leagues are pretty fair weathered) and one team was heading for state championship and the opposing team was just getting slaughtered (double digit to nil at half). League rules say if the game was abandoned in the first half, the game must be replayed. NOBODY wanted that (plus there was no room left in schedule), so as agreed by both teams immediately after bringing the first half to an end, the teams switched sides, the second half was started and immediately abandoned due to inclement weather. Since it was in the second half, the score stood as final.
