The Official 2014 World Cup Thread

[Dback Jon]

Qualified:

Asia:
Iran
South Korea
Japan
Australia

Still in hunt:
Jordan (faces Uruguay in November)

Africa:
None, yet - 5 spots open
Ivory Coast vs Senegal
Nigeria vs Ethiopia
Tunisia vs Cameroon
Ghana vs Egypt
Burkina Faso vs Algeria


North America/Caribbean:
USA
Costa Rica
Honduras

Still in hunt
Mexico (faces New Zealand in November)

South America:
Brazil (host)
Argentina
Chile
Colombia
Ecuador

Still in hunt:
Uruguay (faces Jordan in November)

Oceania:
None

Still in Hunt:
New Zealand (Faces Mexico in November)

Europe:
Belgium
Italy
Germany
Netherlands
Switzerland
Russia
Bosnia
England
Spain

Still in Hunt:
8 teams for four spots - draw next Monday
Greece
France
Portugal
Ukraine
Sweden
Iceland
Romania
Croatia

 

[Dback Jon]

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[Stout]

I thought they changed it so Oceania got an automatic qualifier and also a playoff. Man, that sucks for them. It'd be nice to have a chance at a tourney with Australia AND New Zealand in it

Oh, and Jordan has no shot--at all.

 

[coyoteshockeyfan]

Australia is in the AFC now, so both could qualify.

 

[Stout]

Australia is in the AFC now, so both could qualify.

That must be what I had heard. Even still, I think Oceania should get an automatic place.

 

[coyoteshockeyfan]

That must be what I had heard. Even still, I think Oceania should get an automatic place.

Not really. New Zealand at #79 is the only OFC country in the top 120 of the FIFA rankings.

 

[Dback Jon]

Not really. New Zealand at #79 is the only OFC country in the top 120 of the FIFA rankings.

Yes - it is New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and a bunch of small islands

American Samoa
Cook Islands
Fiji
New Caledonia
New Zealand
Papua New Guinea
Samoa
Solomon Islands
Tahiti (French Polynesia)
Tonga
Vanuatu

 

[Stout]

Not really. New Zealand at #79 is the only OFC country in the top 120 of the FIFA rankings.

Right, I know they aren't that great, but telling a whole region of the world, and a whole host of countries, that they don't count is lame IMO. To have to finish numero uno and then go into a playoff in another region is a really difficult path to the WC. I don't care how low they rank. I think they should get one auto bid.

 

[coyoteshockeyfan]

They still have a massively easier path to qualification than any other country of similar size/ability does, the OFC nations aren't being told they don't matter.

 

[Gaddabout]

Yes - it is New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and a bunch of small islands

American Samoa
Cook Islands
Fiji
New Caledonia
New Zealand
Papua New Guinea
Samoa
Solomon Islands
Tahiti (French Polynesia)
Tonga
Vanuatu

If this were rugby, that'd be murderer's row.

 

[Chaplin]

They still have a massively easier path to qualification than any other country of similar size/ability does, the OFC nations aren't being told they don't matter.

Exactly. The path to #1 in Oceania is much easier than anywhere else in the world. I'd say #1 in Oceania is pretty close to the #4 in CONCACAF, so the playoff makes sense.

 

[Stout]

They still have a massively easier path to qualification than any other country of similar size/ability does, the OFC nations aren't being told they don't matter.

Yeah, I don't care.

Exactly. The path to #1 in Oceania is much easier than anywhere else in the world. I'd say #1 in Oceania is pretty close to the #4 in CONCACAF, so the playoff makes sense.

Again, I don't care. It's the same as saying non-major conference teams should never have the chance to win a NC in college football because of their weak strength of schedule. I hate kicking the little guy like that.

If you want them to be a region for qualifying, they get a spot. If not, break them up and make them part of Asia. Simple.

 

[Chaplin]

Yeah, I don't care.



Again, I don't care. It's the same as saying non-major conference teams should never have the chance to win a NC in college football because of their weak strength of schedule. I hate kicking the little guy like that.

If you want them to be a region for qualifying, they get a spot. If not, break them up and make them part of Asia. Simple.

Why should they get a spot over another team that had a much harder road to the World Cup? True, Mexico probably doesn't deserve to go, but you don't just give it to a powder puff at the expense of what is almost certainly a better team.

 

[SO91]

I'm with Stout on this. I think every region should have 1 guaranteed spot, otherwise what's the point of having that region play out the qualifiers? Much like the automatic bid to the NCAA for the conference tournament winner, regardless of conference. I'm excited to see what my boys from Chile are able to do this time around.

 

[Dback Jon]

So if the United States was in a region with:

St. Lucia
Grenadines
Grenada
Trinidad
Guadalupe
US Virgin Islands
British Virgin Islands
Bahamas
Turks and Caicos
St. Kitts and Nevis
Barbados

You 'd be ok with that group getting an automatic slot in the top 32?

And note, this grouping is far stronger than Oceania

 

[SO91]

So if the United States was in a region with:

St. Lucia
Grenadines
Grenada
Trinidad
Guadalupe
US Virgin Islands
British Virgin Islands
Bahamas
Turks and Caicos
St. Kitts and Nevis
Barbados

You 'd be ok with that group getting an automatic slot in the top 32?

And note, this grouping is far stronger than Oceania

If FIFA decided to group them all up into one region for qualifiers, then yes absolutely. Otherwise what is the point of having the long qualifying process?

Oh and the World Cup is not a tournament for the top 32 according to FIFA rankings.

 

[Dback Jon]

If FIFA decided to group them all up into one region for qualifiers, then yes absolutely. Otherwise what is the point of having the long qualifying process?

Oh and the World Cup is not a tournament for the top 32 according to FIFA rankings.

They are free to join the AFC, like Australia did.

 

[coyoteshockeyfan]

Yeah, I don't care.



Again, I don't care. It's the same as saying non-major conference teams should never have the chance to win a NC in college football because of their weak strength of schedule. I hate kicking the little guy like that.

If you want them to be a region for qualifying, they get a spot. If not, break them up and make them part of Asia. Simple.

Well yeah its a matter of opinion, I'd agree if this were a college football situation where non-BCS schools get shut out, but the OFC nations aren't in that situation. They get their chance at the WC by beating the 4th best team in a weak federation. Don't think that is too much to ask. That makes it a lot more likely that New Zealand would earn a surprise bid. They'd have almost zero chance if they had to go through a combined AFC group. Of course, that area of the world is going to be represented by Australia anyway.

 

[Dback Jon]

I'm with Stout on this. I think every region should have 1 guaranteed spot, otherwise what's the point of having that region play out the qualifiers? Much like the automatic bid to the NCAA for the conference tournament winner, regardless of conference. I'm excited to see what my boys from Chile are able to do this time around.

Except the lowest four conferences have a play in game in the NCAA now. No different than this.

Both still have auto access - just think of them as 33/34 seeds

 

[Gaddabout]

I'm with Stout on this. I think every region should have 1 guaranteed spot, otherwise what's the point of having that region play out the qualifiers? Much like the automatic bid to the NCAA for the conference tournament winner, regardless of conference. I'm excited to see what my boys from Chile are able to do this time around.

Most of these countries aren't even apart of the rest of the world. It dang near takes spaceflight to get there. Even most of South America (the "SEC" of FIFA) would be exhausted just from the travel, especially those who had to get back home from Europe (which is most of the teams' players, it seems). It's not practical from the standpoint where the obvious power teams play.

Recognizing that, FIFA decided to still include these faraway countries for their own division of scrubs. So, good on FIFA.

And this "it's not fair" argument smacks of the same impracticality of the Frenchman who tried to verbally assault me because Americans had the audacity to call their baseball championship "the World Series." When I asked him if he had ever played baseball -- or knew any of his countrymen who did -- he said, "It doesn't matter!" because if France isn't involved, it obviously isn't very important. Or something like that.

 

[Chaplin]

If the top team from Oceania is good enough to beat the 4th place team in what is generally a weaker federation, then they get in. Nothing wrong with that. If they are NOT good enough to beat the 4th place team (which they probably and usually are not), why reward them with an automatic berth when there is another team they push out that is better?

If they want to compete on the world stage, they have to get better. Plain and simple. They aren't good enough to get an automatic bid. Maybe if the quality increased, FIFA would revisit, but the quality is low.

 

[Stout]

If the top team from Oceania is good enough to beat the 4th place team in what is generally a weaker federation, then they get in. Nothing wrong with that. If they are NOT good enough to beat the 4th place team (which they probably and usually are not), why reward them with an automatic berth when there is another team they push out that is better?

If they want to compete on the world stage, they have to get better. Plain and simple. They aren't good enough to get an automatic bid. Maybe if the quality increased, FIFA would revisit, but the quality is low.

Because they won their area. Don't bother having a conference without awarding the conference winner a spot. A playoff's crap, because you're elevating all other regions above one--so why have a separate region? The argument of leaving out a better team's crap too, because plenty of better teams stay home (hello Europe) while worse teams make it in.

 

[coyoteshockeyfan]

The OFC only exists because the tiny islands that make it up can't afford to get swept into the AFC. They even have to merge their WCQs and Nations Cup (their Gold Cup) into one event.

 

[Chaplin]

Because they won their area. Don't bother having a conference without awarding the conference winner a spot. A playoff's crap, because you're elevating all other regions above one--so why have a separate region? The argument of leaving out a better team's crap too, because plenty of better teams stay home (hello Europe) while worse teams make it in.

So in your mind, it's either award them an automatic spot or none at all?

FIFA doesn't need to elevate all other regions above one--they ARE above them! The talent level there is terrible. If there was no playoff and they were in the AFC, not one of those teams would ever make it to the world cup. At least with a playoff there is a chance.

But don't use the excuse that FIFA is favoring other conferences over them--they aren't favored because they are simply not good.

 

[Gaddabout]

Because they won their area. Don't bother having a conference without awarding the conference winner a spot. A playoff's crap, because you're elevating all other regions above one--so why have a separate region? The argument of leaving out a better team's crap too, because plenty of better teams stay home (hello Europe) while worse teams make it in.

Dude, the travel is extreme, even for WCQ. It's far away from everyone. Where would you even put them where you wouldn't penalize the conference that absorbed them?