208 To 1: World Cup 2014 Elimination Timeline [R]

No, no, no. I don't think FIFA ever roughly suggested anything like this.

More like people on here suggested it. Where's the minutes of this suggestion?

Suggestion can be round here. http://www.oleole.com/ofcnewsdetails/ofc-ofc-2010-fifa-world-cup-route-via-asia (this is a copy of the former OFC website run by oleole - the website is now, of course, run by Sporting Pulse). This article was posted by the OFC administration

If I may quote "

FIFA's Executive Committee has announced the pathway to the 2010 FIFA World Cup

TM

in South Africa following a two-day meeting in Zurich, with OFC's qualification route confirmed as a three phase process. ...

This team will then advance to third qualification phase in the final group stage of the AFC qualification programme."

So yes, FIFA suggested precisely this.

As to the rumour about big AFC countries wanting the bye scheme, I got that from the same guy who posted (not here, probably rss, it was 2007 after all) that Australia was going to be invited to the AFC the day before it hit the press. I can't promise it was true, but he always seemed to be accurate with his info.

J

208 to 1? Australia to be the 1!

129 countries are still alive. CONCACAF is the only confederation that could eliminate countries next week. OFC could eliminate countries in October. Guyana will be eliminated if they lose to El Salvador on 7 September and 11 September. Cuba will be eliminated if they lose to Honduras on 7 September and 11 September, and depending on how the two Canada-Panama games go Cuba could clinch last place in the group of four after four of six matchdays.

There is still quite a big gap between the NT above to the likes Japan, S Korea, Iran, Saudi Arabia , and now with Australia ...

129. Cuba

lol - did you watch last night's games?

As it stands Japan may be the first country to qualify (in November), if results go their way...

UEFA World Cup Qualifier Results
Group A
Serbia 6-1 Wales
Belgium 1-1 Croatia
Scotland 1-1 Macedonia
Group B
Bulgaria 1-0 Armenia
Italy 2-0 Malta
Group C
Sweden 2-0 Kazakhstan
Austria 1-2 Germany
Group D
Romania 3-0 Andorra
Turkey 3-0 Estonia
Hungary 1-4 Netherlands
Group E
Cyprus 1-0 Iceland
Norway 2-1 Slovenia
Switzerland 2-0 Albania
Group F
Isreal 0-4 Russia
North Ireland 1-1 Luxembourg
Portugal 3-0 Azerbaijan
Group G
Bosnia-Herzegovina 4-1 Latvia
Slovakia 2-0 Liechtenstein
Greece 2-0 Lithuania
Group H
San Marino 0-6 Montenegro
Poland 2-0 Moldova
England 1-1 Ukraine
Group I
Georgia 0-1 Spain
France 3-1 Belarus

Look at these matchups!
Wouldn't it be nice for Conmebol teams to get these cakewalks every other game in their qualifiers?
Conmebol should demand a merger with Uefa!

Georgia is no longer a cakewalk. Anyone familiar with UEFA NT play would tell you that. And Azerbaijan (if you saw their game against Portugal) was able to hold out for 65 minutes at 0-0. latvia had qualified for European finals not too long ago. And Israel would present problems to half the Comnmebol teams (if not most).

You can't just take a passing glance at the scores and determine that some NTs are cakewalks simply due to the scoreline or size of the country.

By this definition, Jamaica, Surinam and Antigua & Barbuda are no cakewalks

Yes, UEFA sides get easy games once in a while, but on the other hand 1/2 of the group doesn't qualify for the World Cup... There is much less margin for error in UEFA. You can be 5th in Conmebol and still qualify. But you have to be 1st to qualify directly in UEFA.

How so?

Look at the results.

A&B is the only one of the teams I mentioned that has been blown away in a game, all others have kept their games close, Jamaica beat the USA 2-1. on Friday.

Surinam lost to the giants of el Salvador 4-0 in November 2011. They've also lost to the likes of Dominican Republic. How can you compare these guys to Georgia?

I give you Jamaica. They are not a cakewalk.

I was thinking Guyana, they tied el Salvador 2 -2, but they are the team that lost 4-0 to costa Rica, not A&B.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_FIFA_World_Cup_qualification_–_CONCACAF_Third_Round

BTW even Cuba has kept the games close (they did lose 3-0 to Honduras).

So, now look at Georgia: 0-1 to Spain, 1-0 and 1-2 to Croatia. Why did you think Georgia would be a cakewalk? They weren't even a cakewalk to Spain!

Same Spain that beat Puerto Rico 1-0? (yes a friendly is different).

This time Japan ROCKS !

Puerto Rico was able to score on Spain unlike Gerogia they lost 1-2.

A friendly! Georgia almost held off World Champions Spain in a match that actually mattered.

Poor group. Australia look finished.

hmm just thought about something .... Switzerland beat Spain in the last world cup... Luxemberg beat Switzerland in the qualifiers.... therefore.... hmm, Luxemburg > Spain!

The only real cakewalks:
Liechtenstein
San Marino
Faroe Islands
Andorra

All other "weaker" teams can park the double decker bus and grind out a tie or a very low scoring loss.

Forgive my ignorance but what makes a side like Bolivia better than some of these cakewalks?