Quantifying incentive (in)compatibility: A case study from sports

For every sports tournament, it is an important requirement to provide contestants with the appropriate incentives perform. However, incentive compatibility usually considered all or nothing (binary) concept in academic literature, that is, rules are proved be either strategy-proof vulnerable manipulation. Our paper aims present a method for quantifying violation of this theoretical property through example European Qualifiers 2022 FIFA World Cup. Even though competition known incompatible since lower-ranked Nations League group winners interested success their higher-ranked peers, extent problem has remained unexplored until now. Computer simulations reveal threat tanking can substantially mitigated by adding carefully chosen set draw restrictions, which offers justifiable and transparent solution improve fairness. Sports governing bodies encouraged take our findings into account.