Continental Cups

[junjunforever]

Does anyone care about continental cups apart from the Euro?

Would you rather have your team finish final four in the continental cup (final 16 for Europeans because they send like 13 teams to the WC) and crash out in the WC qualifying? or vice versa?



I've been having arguments with my friends about this issue. I really think the chance to play in the World Cup is much more prestigious than doing well in the Gold Cup, Copa America, African Cup or Asian Cup. Preferably, i'd like to do well in both tournaments but if i had to choose, I'd choose the World Cup.

Of course, the European Cup is special for reasons i dont know why.

[Nanbawan]

Of course, the European Cup is special for reasons i dont know why.

3 words : History, Density, Prestige :cool:

[skipshady]

3 words : History, Density, Prestige :cool:
It's interesting that the Euro wasn't that prestigious an event until about 20 years ago. Until 1980, teams played in groups, then home-and-away quarterfinals before the semifinal and the final in the host country.

In 1980, 8 teams played in 2 groups, and the winners played in the final. From '84 to '92, it was the same format except the top 2 finishers of each group played in the semifinals.

The 16-team/4-group format wasn't introduced until 1996. The Euro has been around since 1956, but it didn't become what it is now until Platini's performace in France '84 and the Netherlands vs West Germany classic in '88.

The point of all this is that you have to give continental tournaments time to grow.

[skipshady]

I've been having arguments with my friends about this issue. I really think the chance to play in the World Cup is much more prestigious than doing well in the Gold Cup, Copa America, African Cup or Asian Cup. Preferably, i'd like to do well in both tournaments but if i had to choose, I'd choose the World Cup.
I don't think anyone would argue that continental tournaments are more important than the World Cup. I'm sure Canada would have gladly given up its 2001 Gold Cup if that meant qualifying for the 2002 World Cup.

But it's also possible for a continental tourney to be less important than WC, but still be very prestigious. A better comparison might be, say, winning the continental tourney and only making the first round in WC vs doing badly in the continental tourney and making the final 8 in WC.

Part of it is organization - Gold Cup is held too often (every 2 years) and it's held in the same country every time. Part of it is the quality of the teams - from a purely football standpoint, Euro has more quality matches than WC because almost every group is a Group of Death.

[junjunforever]

I don't think anyone would argue that continental tournaments are more important than the World Cup. I'm sure Canada would have gladly given up its 2001 Gold Cup if that meant qualifying for the 2002 World Cup.

But it's also possible for a continental tourney to be less important than WC, but still be very prestigious. A better comparison might be, say, winning the continental tourney and only making the first round in WC vs doing badly in the continental tourney and making the final 8 in WC.

Part of it is organization - Gold Cup is held too often (every 2 years) and it's held in the same country every time. Part of it is the quality of the teams - from a purely football standpoint, Euro has more quality matches than WC because almost every group is a Group of Death.

very true..