Impact of Nations Leagues (UEFA original, Concacaf) on World Football? [Multiple R]

Good point about the later World Cup, but I think there will be fewer matchdays available because Sept - November 2020 will almost certainly reserved for the Nations League group stage. Then NL playoffs could take place anytime in the first half of 2022 I suppose.

That leaves 10 matchdays in 2021 for the WCQ and 2 in early 2022. So the obvious options are:

1) Groups of up to 6 teams + time for a playoff round (so 10 groups);
2) 11 groups of 5 + time for 2 playoff rounds
3) Groups of up to 7 teams (so 8 groups)

Option #1 is tricky since 10 groups is a bad number to determine 13 qualifiers. They’d have to just take the 6 best runners-up to meet in a playoff. Or maybe use the NL to determine the other 3 qualifiers.

Option #2 is a bit silly since it would involve the eight best second-place teams to enter two round playoff to determine the 2 other qualifiers. Or use the NL to derive the other 2 qualifiers

Option 3 is not great. Since there is no time for playoffs (not even able to use the NL), then they would just have to qualify the 8 group winners and the 5 “best” runners-up.

Option 3 could be a disaster if you get Spain and Italy in the same group again, or anything like that. Don't like the idea of no playoffs and several group runners-up getting eliminated directly.
So I’d vote for option 1 and use the Nations League to determine the final 3 spots to join the 10 group-winners. That would really give an incentive for teams in spending the 2018-19 NL in League C not to get relegated.

 

https://www.si.com/soccer/2017/10/2...ing-international-friendlies-new-world-league

Doubtful they're crying about friendlies ... the UNL's League A and B groups + 1 group of League C consist of 3 teams so all those teams can each schedule 2 friendlies during the group phase (and they can't play friendlies against teams that are in groups of 4 teams) ... some teams will also have time during the regular qualifiers ... plus in even years friendlies can be played in March and during the training camps ahead of a major tournament. Besides it makes more sense to play against other UEFA teams ahead of EURO2020 (and during WC cycles against teams from outside of Europe).

'World League', which would likely be introduced in 2019 (one of the ideas from FIFA's review that will be completed by March of next year) ... I doubt anybody would mind another money-spinner yet it should be 2020-21 ... a World League ahead of a World Cup and the Nations League ahead of the EUROs (or another confed. level tournament). A World League should also be better than meaningless friendlies.

 

If I remember correctly someone a couple years back created a thread around here that said a World League would be a better representation of determining who the best team in the World is and most people laughed and scoffed at the idea basically saying it was pipe dream and unrealistic.

I can't believe we are (in theory) a few steps away from making it happen in reality.

I personally have mixed feelings about it but who am I kidding. I would watch every second of the top matches on ESPN , FOX, UNIVISION, Whoever gets the rights to this thing.

 

All these ideas are clearly just UEFA and FIFA trying to milk as much money as they can from international football.

 

Well, from a fan's perspective there's an upside and no apparent downside. So who cares if someone is also making money?

A world league happening and a world league doing a better job of determining the world's best team are two very different things.

But.... I wouldn't mind if such a world league is used to determine the last few qualifiers for a 48-team World Cup. I think it would do a better job of determining the countries most deserving of, say, the 45th - 48th spots than just gifting 10 spots to Asia.

 

Agreed.
But it will be interesting to see it play out in the future.

 

If they were adding a world league, I think they should have just kept the 32 team World Cup format.

 

I think something like this can benefit the USA more than the other countries in theory. Playing in opposing National stadiums in games like these can help the younger players get used to what they will face in Qualifiers.

The USA will probably just play these games in stadiums that the other Countries will not play in during Qualifying since they rotate venues so much.

 

All other things equal, would the USA playing all their home WCQs in one stadium help their opponents? In between their September 10, 2013 and November 11, 2016 WCQs in Columbus, how many stadiums did the average Mexican starter play in with Mexico and his club(s) combined? Would a player ever get familiar with a stadium he plays in once (or even two or three times) every four years?

 

The point is when it comes to the USA and the younger players that are expected to be a major part of the 2018 process....

...they will get a chance to play in Stadiums that will be used in Qualifiers in competitive matches. ( Unless the other teams use stadiums that are not their National Stadium, which I doubt.) And that will help them get used to the crazy atmospheres they will have to play in once World Cup qualifying starts up. Or at least I believe it will be better than just throwing them out there in the Azteca, San Pedro Sula, San Jose, whatever it may be in Qatar Qualifying.

Conversely, the opposite would not apply when it comes to games in the USA.

 

I think CONCACAF will also like having a reason to stage 4 more competitive USA v Mexico matches within each 4-year cycle. So perhaps there will be a total of 8 competitive matches between the two every 4 years (including Gold Cup encounters)! lol (although I guess the days of the HEX might be numbered)

 

UEFA Nations League anthem:
https://soundcloud.com/user-552452518/uefa-nations-league-anthem

 

Will be interesting to see how this group pans out. Netherlands are likely the worst team in the top division but schedule and/or s difference in approach might make a difference.

 

It doesn't play and says it might have been removed.

 

Damn. It was there when I posted it.
Try this one, direct from the uefa website.
http://www.uefa.com/uefanationsleague/video/videoid=2531437.html?autoplay=true#/

 

Sounds more like the theme for the next inevitable Pirates of the Caribbean movie.

 

This is the group that also drew all the headlines in the papers (or I should say "webpages" since its 2018), including the UEFA website.

Not the Group of Death for me. That goes to the Spain, Croatia and England group. Not even close really.

Although the Germany group has the better rivalries which might have contributed to the headlines.

 

WOW dude! Gimme some tips for the WC

 

Yea the Dutch will be lucky to get anything from that group, their current squad is easily the worst since I got into football.

 

More like an Ancient warfare epic drama.