So it's good that CONCACAF gets a playoff..

[Red Harvest]

to potentially place a fourth team in the World Cup....right??

Just in case:

http://sports.yahoo.com/m/sow/news/ap/20021217/ap-fifameetings.html

I'm all for it...I'm sure Honduras is happy (a little late but better late than never).

[RalRhino]

Originally posted by Red Harvest


I'm sure Honduras is happy

...and I'm sure Austrailia is happier!

[desertfox2]

I'm very happy that CONCACAF got that extra half of a slot...they deserve it. However (and although I knew that this was coming) I am not pleased that now Australia practically gets an auto berth into the finals. Decreasing the amount of spots for CONMEBOL just to get Australia in because they have been crying for so long just doesn't seem right. Anyways, let the discussion continue! We can now make more accurate predictions on which teams will qualify from what region.

[Bison1997]

Originally posted by Red Harvest


I'm all for it...I'm sure Honduras is happy (a little late but better late than never).

I'm happy about this too - it doesn't make sense that Honduras had to stay home while China (for example) got to do a Three-And-Out...

[Sachin]

Actually, New Zealand could really give the Aussies a run. The Kiwi program has made major strides forward. A few years ago, they viewed NCAA soccer as their proving ground. Now they're looking at Europe.

Sachin

[nicodemus]

Imagine a home and away with Honduras and Iran or something similar. :D

Two places renowned for being tough to outsiders. That should be nuts.

[Bison1997]

Originally posted by Sachin
Actually, New Zealand could really give the Aussies a run. The Kiwi program has made major strides forward. A few years ago, they viewed NCAA soccer as their proving ground. Now they're looking at Europe.

Sachin

Now that they've gotten a big win over the Aussies, the team's confidence has to be soaring. You can imagine how they must feel about the fact that the World Cup is a very real possibility going forward.

[Maczebus]

Originally posted by Sachin
Actually, New Zealand could really give the Aussies a run. The Kiwi program has made major strides forward. A few years ago, they viewed NCAA soccer as their proving ground. Now they're looking at Europe.

Sachin

Teams of either Australia or New Zealand's quality, shouldn't automatically have a 50% chance of competing.

It's just wrong.

[Heist]

Originally posted by maczebus
Teams of either Australia or New Zealand's quality, shouldn't automatically have a 50% chance of competing.

It's just wrong.

I agree. Its not fair to South America, especially in a year in which the past champion doesn't automatically qualify. I do think making Brazil qualify is good, but imagine if only Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, and Uruguay make it.
The Aussies or Jamaica or T & T could get in ahead of Paraguay or if someone like Ecuador slips in another of those big boys of South America get left at home.
That's just wrong. It'd be much more exciting and fair for Asia #5 to play Oceania #1 and CONCACAF #4 to play CONMEBOL #5. Honduras taking on Paraguay or Ecuador for a spot in Germany... now that'd be exciting.

At least they took half a spot from Europe, although Germany is getting a free pass. I wish there was a better way to make sure the top teams in Europe really do get in. The Netherlands missing the finals was really too bad last year. I just don't think there's a better way to do it though.

[ursula]

Originally posted by nicodemus
Imagine a home and away with Honduras and Iran or something similar. :D

Two places renowned for being tough to outsiders. That should be nuts.

Yeah, that's what I thought when I first heard the news.

[counterattack]

Originally posted by maczebus
Teams of either Australia or New Zealand's quality, shouldn't automatically have a 50% chance of competing.

It's just wrong.

Beg to differ. It is not wrong. What is wrong is only 32 slots in the final. When sides like the Netherlands are left home, it is way past time to expand to 48. That would clear up all the silliness about slots.

As for the CONCACAF extra half spot, it is good news in Canuckanuk, as anywhere else.

[Maczebus]

Originally posted by counterattack
Beg to differ. It is not wrong. What is wrong is only 32 slots in the final. When sides like the Netherlands are left home, it is way past time to expand to 48. That would clear up all the silliness about slots.


Well if that's your argument then why not just invite everyone along?
Because as sure as eggs is eggs, 48 spots won't be enough either for those teams that don't make it.
A few years ago there were only 24 teams involved, and that obviously didn't stop the bickering as to who should get to go.
There has to be a cut off point as to who can go.

Besides, increasing the number of sides that get to attend will only further reduce the number of countries (or combination of countries) that actually have the ability to host an event of such magnitude. There are few enough as it is.

[Jay510]

4.5 to asia......lets get real...........Oceania gets 1 isnt even as bad as that.....Asia has 3 teams worthy of the cup, and Korea, Japan and maybe Iran.......Highway robbery if you ask me

[xenaphobia]

Originally posted by Sachin
Actually, New Zealand could really give the Aussies a run. The Kiwi program has made major strides forward.

Unlikely

In the 2001 WC Qualifiers, Australia's "B" team rolled over them 6-1 in 2 games

Their 1-0 win against an Australian "F" side in the 2002 OFC Cup is hardly representative of the strength of NZ soccer, their U20WC side just got knocked out by Fiji!

[sammydog]

In the under 20 national squads the island nations are actually very competative. This decision to give oceania will give them something to play for in the future. I think you will find that in 10 or so years there will be a couple of these small nations that turn out to be very competative.

Why is it australias fault that south america has lost a space. Oceania weren't the only confederation to get an extra 1/2 place.

[xenaphobia]

Originally posted by sammydog

Why is it australias fault that south america has lost a space. Oceania weren't the only confederation to get an extra 1/2 place.

Agree entirely

More debate should be made of the extra spots to CONCACAF and AFC than Oceania's 1/2 spot

CONCACAF is a joke apart from the US & Mexico and the US apart from their lucky run in 2002 WC have been a joke in the WC

Canada, Jamacia and co are no better than New Zealand or Fiji

Of course just mentioning this the CONCACAF marks around here will be up in arms!

And let's not mention Saudi Arabia & China ....

South Amercia should feel ripped off but more so at Asia & CONCACAF than poor little Oceania

[Heist]

Originally posted by sammydog
In the under 20 national squads the island nations are actually very competative. This decision to give oceania will give them something to play for in the future. I think you will find that in 10 or so years there will be a couple of these small nations that turn out to be very competative.

Why is it australias fault that south america has lost a space. Oceania weren't the only confederation to get an extra 1/2 place.

I agree, its more Asia's fault I think that South America lost a place. Its more laughable to me that one of: Saudi Arabia or China is basically assured of a spot (assuming South Korea, Japan, and Iran land the other spots in Asia). Probably both China and the Saudis will get in. Who else in Asia is competitive? Kuwait?

I don't agree that the chance at a place will make the island nations any better. They need money and more population to have a chance. Yes, you could tell me that small countries like the Netherlands are competitive, but they have 100+ years of soccer under their belts and ingrained in their national psyche. It takes a lot to turn a small below average soccer country into one that competes with Australia and New Zealand (both of which have countless players playing in Europe and the US). This will still be like what CONCACAF was 30 years ago. Mexico dominating, then Costa Rica then a bunch of Central American plus the US and Canada, countries which had ok teams every few qualifying rounds but never did anything at the cup and only made it cause CONCACAF got multiple spots.
Oceania will probably continue to be even more lopsided than that. Actually Australia will probably benefit from this decision the most and then New Zealand slightly less. Both of those teams will get better, they'll have to. Maybe that's why FIFA gave them the spot.
Always remember, if they get blown out two cups in a row FIFA may take the spot back. They do change the spots pretty much every cup...

[nicodemus]

Originally posted by maczebus
Well if that's your argument then why not just invite everyone along?

Technically everyone is invited along. The World Cup actually includes all of the qualifying. The month long event every four years that everyone looks so forward to is actually the World Cup Finals.

[rksehga]

Originally posted by xenaphobia


South Amercia should feel ripped off but more so at Asia & CONCACAF than poor little Oceania

Hold On, I think you forget that Africa have 5 automatic qualification spots. Every WC there is an African team that finishes with 1 or 0 points. Why not reduce their spots to 4. And give Europe and South America a playoff for a spot. Alternatively, Instead of giving Oceania an Automatic spot they could have switched their playoff to go against an an Asian Side. Have CONCACAF and CONMEBOL have a playoff and then leave UEFA with 13. That would minimize the travel for the playoff matches and help create more regional rivalary.

["Simply Ken"]

Heist,

The problem with Asian football is not lack of competition within the confederation, but the fact that few of its teams are genuinely competitive internationally.

To clarify what I mean, Asia has a lot of sides that can compete and possibly upset the top sides in the continent. In that sense, the picture in the AFC is very different than say the OFC.

Although not exclusive to ones that have made prior World Cups, such Asian sides as Iraq (1986), UAE (1990), and Kuwait (1982) have World Cup experience as well. These and at least half a dozen other sides are competitive against one or more of the 5 teams you mentioned (i.e. S.Korea, Japan, Iran, Saudi Arabia, China).

In the past, S.Korea has very often been beaten by Kuwait for example. And occasionally by Thailand. The Koreans have also had major problems with Saudi Arabia, ending up on the losing end in many games from club to country. For those reasons, among others, the S.Koreans have not won an Asian Cup trophy since 1960!

Japan, on the other hand, are a rising power in the Asian game after spending years in the shadow of the top sides in Asia. Even now, though, they know that a match against China can always be tough for them, even as China have a miserable record against Iran and only a marginally better one against S.Korea.

And we all should know that Iran has met its worst results not at the hands of the top Asian teams, but at the hands of lesser regarded sides such as Bahrain (in 2001) or Qatar (in 1997). Our head to head results against the elite side in Asia show parity in terms of wins and losses. None of the top Asian sides have ever entered the field against Iran, even at their home, feeling in any way assured that they can win the game.

I don't think Asia deserve 4.5 spots. That allocation is somewhat generous. However, the difference between China of WC2002, and whoever is the so-called 5th Asian team, is negligible if any. There are plenty of sides at China's level.

As for Saudi Arabia, they are a team that can look as horrid as they did against Germany, but they are also a team that can play really well at times. Ask Japan which struggled mightily to win the Asian Cup against them. And recall that Saudi Arabia did make the round of 16 in 1994, after beating Morocco and Belgium and barely losing 2:1 to the Netherlands.