World Cup qualifiers - Qatar 2022

[Bully Wee Villa]

But the 8th best team from England/Spain/Italy/Germany doesn't get to take part. The 5th best Scottish team does.

If your argument is that the best teams should always be represented then that shouldn't be the case.

[craigkillie]

20 minutes ago, Bully Wee Villa said:

But the 8th best team from England/Spain/Italy/Germany doesn't get to take part. The 5th best Scottish team does.

If your argument is that the best teams should always be represented then that shouldn't be the case.

That's not my argument so I'm not sure why you keep pretending it is. My argument is that there should be more of a balance between geographical representation and ability. Whatever the equivalent of the "5th best Scottish team" is here would actually be participating in play-offs, not in the final tournament itself, just as with European football they don't get automatic group stage entry.

If it helps to put some flesh on the bonest, my proposal for future 48 team World Cups would be something like this:

Automatic (33):

Hosts - 1 (any further hosts qualify but a spot is deducted from their confederation total)
Europe - 13
South America - 4
Africa - 7
Asia - 4
North America - 4

Play-off (15)

10 groups of 4, group winners qualify automatically, group runners-up play-off.

Europe - 12
South America - 4
Africa - 10
Asia - 6
North America - 6
Oceania - 2

[craigkillie]

The idea that the current World Cup is particularly regionally representative doesn't really hold anyway, because the confederations themselves often consist of multiple geographical regions.

In my lifetime, there have never been any participants from places like Central Asia, the Baltics, South Asia, South-East Asia, Pacific Islands, East Africa, Central Africa. Asia sending Japan, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Iran and Australia to near enough every World Cup doesn't seem that representative either.

[Theroadlesstravelled]

I don’t want to speak too soon but that England squad looks weak.

Still wheeling out Luke Shaw ffs.

[BFTD]

38 minutes ago, Theroadlesstravelled said:

I don’t want to speak too soon but that England squad looks weak.

Still wheeling out Luke Shaw ffs.

That's what folk said before 2018. Of course, nobody was to know that they'd end up playing Mongolia, Antarctica, and the Outer Hebrides.

Their last Euros wasn't brilliant either. Couldn't beat us, and knocked out by a side that didn't qualify for the past two World Cups. Bit embarrassing.

[Donathan]

1 hour ago, Theroadlesstravelled said:

I don’t want to speak too soon but that England squad looks weak.

Still wheeling out Luke Shaw ffs.

 

England have a good side but Gareth Southgate is yesterday's man and is dining out on two relatively fluky tournament runs. Germany in the last 16 of the Euros is the only time they've beaten a nation you'd expect them to have any trouble with and even then it was at Wembley against a German side who are currently between golden generations.

 

Sticking with Maguire and Shaw in particular is a joke.

 

England should really line up:

 

Pope

Walker-Stones-Tomori-Chilwell

Mount-Rice-Bellingham

Saka-Kane-Foden

[craigkillie]

On 09/08/2021 at 11:10, Jimi Shandrix said:

Not in the slightest bit surprised by the US ranking. Think they'll be amongst the favourites in Qatar. I've been watching a lot of the MLS and its gone from a well paid retirement home for aging Europeans to one of the most skilful, entertaining leagues there is in a very short space of time. Much better to watch than the EPL or La Liga imo. A quick check on the interweb showed US born players account for about half of those playing. Belgium still being 1 and Brazil still being 2 however, show the world rankings to be seriously flawed to say the least.

 

Comfortably dispatched by the first half decent team they played after scraping past Wales and Iran in the groups.

[BFTD]

6 hours ago, craigkillie said:

Comfortably dispatched by the first half decent team they played after scraping past Wales and Iran in the groups.

Have you had that bookmarked for the last four months?    Hopefully you get to re-use this post later on today.

Also, hopefully Jimi's still with us and able to enjoy the tournament.