CWC - What would be a better shape for this tournament ?

[Corintiano]

If we had more SA and European teams i think it would be quite more interesting.

Libertadores Champion + Sudamericana Champion
Uefa Cup Champion + Champions League Champion

plus 1 champion from the other world confederations

I've heard FIFA would be considering this shape for the
next CWC by the way.

[unclesox]

Well, that format would at least make the UEFA Cup a bit more prestigious.
But UEFA would need to scrap the Champions League third place sides gaining qualification into the UEFA Cup before I'd vote for the UEFA Cup winners going to Japan. ;)

[MasterShake29]

If we had more SA and European teams i think it would be quite more interesting.

Libertadores Champion + Sudamericana Champion
Uefa Cup Champion + Champions League Champion

plus 1 champion from the other world confederations

I've heard FIFA would be considering this shape for the
next CWC by the way.

I'm not sure UEFA would go for being required to send an additional team. Also, this would surely remove the bye that the Euro team gets, requiring them to miss an additional league game.

I thought the format this year was just fine actually.

[MoRado]

If we had more SA and European teams i think it would be quite more interesting.

Libertadores Champion + Sudamericana Champion
Uefa Cup Champion + Champions League Champion

plus 1 champion from the other world confederations

I've heard FIFA would be considering this shape for the
next CWC by the way.

I like it, that'll be nice, it's not fair when 2 teams have to play less games than the rest of the teams.

[ZeekLTK]

I like it, that'll be nice, it's not fair when 2 teams have to play less games than the rest of the teams.

Actually Al-Ittihad and Saprissa were the only teams to play 3 games in the tournament.

[Forza AZ]

That format would be nice, allthough I think most European teams won't be happy with the fact that they have to play 3 matches then, because that would mean that they have to postpone 2 league matches.

A solution for this might be to shift the tournement a few days. So let the quarterfinals be played on Wednesday, the semifinals on Saturday and the final on Tuesday. So the European teams have to arrive only 1 day earlier than now and so can still play their league game the Friday or Saturday before, and their last match is only 2 days later than now, so they can play their league match in the weekend after on Saturday or Sunday.

So for 2006:

Quarterfinals
Tuesday 12 December (non-European teams) & Wednesday 13 December (European teams)

5th-8th place play-off's
Friday 15 December

Semi finals
Saturday 16 December

5th place play-off and 7th place play-off
Monday 18 December

Final and 3th place play-off
Tuesday 19 December

[Sparks2005]

If we had more SA and European teams i think it would be quite more interesting.

Libertadores Champion + Sudamericana Champion
Uefa Cup Champion + Champions League Champion

plus 1 champion from the other world confederations

I've heard FIFA would be considering this shape for the
next CWC by the way.

I also heard about these expansion plans, but as far as I know, the two extra teams would be the current holder and the champions of the country where the tournament is held.

I believe it should be kept as it is.

[Corintiano]

I also heard about these expansion plans, but as far as I know, the two extra teams would be the current holder and the champions of the country where the tournament is held.


Hmmm interesting, that would drive more people to the stadiums

[Templinho]

Uefa Cup Champion + Champions League ChampionThere's no way the UEFA Cup Champion should be participating in the Club World Championship. The UEFA Cup is very much a second tier competition, it's for teams who didn't make the cut in their own league. If you're going to increase the field, clubs must come from the Champions League.

Personally, I think the present format is just fine. It's the best we can hope for in the current climate. This competition needs to establish itself, it doesn't need constant tinkering.

[Corintiano]

There's no way the UEFA Cup Champion should be participating in the Club World Championship. The UEFA Cup is very much a second tier competition, it's for teams who didn't make the cut in their own league. If you're going to increase the field, clubs must come from the Champions League.

Just like sudamericana, wich is a "second tier" competion too, but still think this would add value to the tournament and to those second-tier competitions. Both would have more prestige.

[Forza AZ]

Just like sudamericana, wich is a "second tier" competion too, but still think this would add value to the tournament and to those second-tier competitions. Both would have more prestige.
But there is a very big difference between the UEFA-cup and the Copa Sudamericana.
In South America teams can participate in both the Copa Libertadores and the Copa Sudamericana in the same year. So all the strong teams play in both competitions. In Europe teams can only play in either the CL or the UEFA-cup (a few teams play in both, but that's because some eliminated teams in the CL "fall down" to the UEFA-cup).

[Corintiano]

Things changed this year, São Paulo for instance would be qualified for both competitions but CBF has prohibited that, so Vasco will play Sudamericana in his place and there is no "fall-down" from libertadores to Sudamericana. But my point is that Sudamericana is really a second-tier competition down here, no doubt about that.

[JColcci [SPFC]]

I really cannot imagine a team like the Russian CSK playing at the a CWC... I have nothing against CSKA but it doesn't sounds right to put a side that is not one of the bests in a tournament that wants to point the best team of the world.

Maybe if the tournament takes place in 2 years (2005, 2007, 2009) it would be better... with the champions of the two past years from each continent... like Porto (2004) and Liverpool (2005) of the UCL, Once Caldas and Sao Paulo from Libertadores, etc.

I like more a format with 8 teams, but the 6 teams seems to be the most fair.

[Excape Goat]

The host should be able to send a team. It was boring even for the neutral fans to see half-empty stadiums.

[JColcci [SPFC]]

I don't see a CWC as something like a World Cup, where there is qualifying tournaments. It's just a tournament wit the best teams of each continent. There is no point in considering a holder, like corinthians in 2000. How can a team be considered the best of the world if it did not achieved in winning the regional competition?

an 8-team tournament would bem something more beautiful, but wouldn't be fair.

[MasterShake29]

The host should be able to send a team. It was boring even for the neutral fans to see half-empty stadiums.

If Oceania and Asia merge (which seems likely), then perhaps that opens up a spot for a host team while keeping a 6 team format.

[SwissGCZ]

']Maybe if the tournament takes place in 2 years (2005, 2007, 2009) it would be better...
I disagree, club football changes too much in two years (i.e. transfers.) It has always been annual and it should stay that way.

[JColcci [SPFC]]

that´s why I said that the 6-team format is the most fair.

[DCUdiplomat96]

i think a 12 team format, listen 2 teams from each confederation (2 EURO.2SA 2con 2asia etc. take the top 4 placee confederations from the previous CWC and give them the bye and and the remaining 8 play first round. ofcousre the tourney should single elimination. also FIFA should sanction all countries to take 2 week break like most euro countries around that time of year for xmas and show case the CWC. Also rotate the CWC around the worldeach yr. ie 2007 in wembly UK, 2008 uSA site 2009 argentina 2010 south africa 2011 australia etc. also have the earlier games in smaller venues for the time being until the torney gets more popular.

[celito]

Either one game between the European and SA champions in Neutral ground. Or 2 games home and away. And it would have to be right after the CL and Libertadores champions are defined.

All of these single elimination tournments with 6...12 teams are pointless and unecessary. Even if a team from Africa, Asia, or Central America wins it by accident, you know they won't be the "best" team in the world. Calendar is already full, FIFA is stupid to do such a tournment.