ZeekLTK
16 Dec 2005, 09:26 AM
If FIFA hadn't used the "South American rule" for Pot 2 (meaning any African team would go to Argentina first and then Brazil) and would have just drawn going down the line, the groups would have looked like this:
Group B:
England
Cote d'Ivoire
Sweden
Trinidad & Tobago
Group C:
Argentina
Angola
Holland
Serbia & Montenegro
Group D:
Mexico
Paraguay
Portugal
Iran
This is because Cote d'Ivoire was the 2nd team drawn from pot 2, and then Paraguay was drawn third, but they couldn't have gone to Group C because Argentina is there, so they would have moved over a pot to D, with Mexico. Angola was drawn fourth, they would have went into C and everything else would have remained the same...
This rule certainly changed these groups completely. Group C is no longer the "Group of Death", Group D just got a lot harder, and Group B is more balanced.
Group B:
England
Cote d'Ivoire
Sweden
Trinidad & Tobago
Group C:
Argentina
Angola
Holland
Serbia & Montenegro
Group D:
Mexico
Paraguay
Portugal
Iran
This is because Cote d'Ivoire was the 2nd team drawn from pot 2, and then Paraguay was drawn third, but they couldn't have gone to Group C because Argentina is there, so they would have moved over a pot to D, with Mexico. Angola was drawn fourth, they would have went into C and everything else would have remained the same...
This rule certainly changed these groups completely. Group C is no longer the "Group of Death", Group D just got a lot harder, and Group B is more balanced.