world cup qualifying history 1950 3 team round robin top 2 advance 1954 3 team round robin winner advance 1958 2 groups of 3 group winners playing off for 1 spot 1962 2 groups of 2 and 1 group of 3 with the groups winner playing off for the right to play paraguay 1966 3 groups of 3 . group winners playing off for a spot 1970 4 groups of 3 with the winner playing off in semi final and final play offs (mexico host) 1974 4 groups of 2 and 2 groups of 3 . group winners playing a round robin for the spot 1978 3 north team play round robin . 4 central teams play round robin . 9 carabian team single knock out . final round 2 north ,2 central, 2 carabian 1 world cup spot 1982 3 north ,5 central , 7 Carribean teams in 2 groups final round 2 north ,2 central , 2 carribean top 2 advance to world cup 1986 originaly 8 knock out pairing and 1 team recieving a bye in to the second round . second round 3 groups of 3 with the winner receiving a spot in the final round . but 3 countries drop out give 4 countries a bye in the first round . 1990 5 first round pairing winner meeting 5 countries that recieved byes with second round winner meeting in a round robin for 2 spots
The problem with the 1978 process was that the entire final group was played in Mexico. Good for Mexico, of course, but a bit hard on the others.
ahhh, the same way that everyone feels about the gold Cup! in 78 I like the way they grouped countries, islands in one, central american (UNCAF) and north side
FIFA are considering a proposal to increase the number of teams competing in the finals of the 2006 World Cup in Germany from 32 to 36 countries. Does this means CONCACAF will get a 4th spot, a positive seat, instead of 3.5. The 2014 World Cup will be played in South America, world football's governing body FIFA today announced. http://disc.server.com/discussion.cgi?id=107201;article=60721
They may politely consider 36 team World Cup, but they won't adopt it. It's easy to get from 32 teams to 16; take 2 of each group of 4. How would you suggest that you get from 36 to 16? Not very easily.
very easy: grondona (2nd on line behind J blater) said that they will take the 9top teams from grps of 4 and the SEVEN BEST 2nd records from the 9grps. I like the idea, it will bring more scoring and teams will certainly avoid ties in the last game of its grp, it will add intensity to each game.
I agree that this would make for more exciting games, but it would also make the draws of the groups that much more important I think and make it that much harder to advance. What about 40 teams, and 8 groups of 5 teams? That might be too many games... i'm not sure.
NO! No more teams, you're making the World Cup into a joke. If you can't qualify, tuff, you shouldn't be even worried about the finals then.
More teams!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Grondona says 36-team World Cup well-received by Germany © Rooters 2003 BUENOS AIRES, March 11 (Rooters) - A South American proposal to increase the number of teams at the 2006 World Cup from 32 to 110 has been well-received by hosts Germany, Argentina Football Association (AFA) president Julio Grondona said on Tuesday. Grondona, a FIFA vice-president who made the suggestion to soccer's world governing body last week, said it would allow Germany to make ‘a whole lotta bling-bling’ and would also permit South America to rightfully qualify all 10 of its teams. FIFA's executive committee looked at the proposal last week and president Sepp Blatter has now asked event organisers for their opinions. Grondona said that Franz Beckenbauer, president of the 2006 organising committee, had reacted positively. "He said it would not be a problem, on the contrary. Today, I spoke to Blatter...and we are optimistic," he told Buenos Aires radio station La Red. "There's no problem as far as infrastructure is concerned, in fact it's good for them as every city in the whole damn country will host matches," Grondona added. Grondona said a 110-team tournament would last the same length of time as a 32-team event and that his idea entailed a first round consisting of 25 groups of four, plus one group of eight South American teams. Brasil and Argentina would play each other in a single game for a bye to the final. The loser of the match would be relegated to one of the semi-final match-ups. The eight team South American group would play a round robin to determine another semi-finalist, the remaining 7 teams would be entered in to the second round, along with the 25 ‘rest of the world’ group winners. Those 32 teams would be drawn into 8 groups of four to compete in a standard World Cup format to determine the final semi-final spot. Last December, FIFA reduced South America's quota of places from four-and-a-half - meaning that four teams qualified directly and the fifth played off against a team from another continent for a further place - to four. The move infuriated the South American Confederation (CSF), which claimed only they, and possibly a select few European countries, are worthy of competing in the World Cup. A further blow was that world champions Brazil have to dirty themselves by actually qualifing. Since then, the CSF has desperately been trying to find ways of getting its half-place back or even increasing its quota to a full five places.
I agree with you completely. But the number of teams will eventually be increased. Just like all sports they, the "leaders", aren't happy until they try to squeeze every single dollar or euro out of an event. All you need to do is take a look at MLB or the NBA.
Amen. The tournament already has more games than we know what to do with. The number of teams should stay at 32.
I totally agree. Having 36 teams makes the World Cup Finals more complicated. Have the best 7 out of 9 2nd place teams make it? Come on. Not only that, but the Qualifying Round would be less dramatic as well. Having more spots means less pressure on the teams which means less excitement. If a team can't make it in the current format, then they don't deserve to be there. 32 nations is plenty.
thank you for thinking about this rationally. 36 teams is just a joke, I don't care if you make more money, I don't care if supposely the system works, and I don't care if every city gets a game. This is the World Cup, we don't wait 4 years for nothing. Pretty soon we'll end up ditching qualifiers because hey we'll be use to adding more and more teams as the years go by. 32 teams is really enough and everything works out perfectly. Is 4 more teams really gonna make a difference? or make the tournament look dumb?
You know the South American Confederation wants four more spots so that the World Cup Champion gets their automatic spot back. Which means they are crying foul that not only Brazil are forced to qualify all over again, but they lost their precious 1/2 spot. 36 is too much. 32 is just right. Hell no that FIFA should not add four more spots. It's too much and it make no sense. Europe & South America should just shut up and deal with it. We have 3 1/2, Oceania has one full and Asia has the other 1/2 spot. They should deal with it and stop crying.
32 or 36, the problem is that Brazil won The problem is that continental South America has only 13 countries in it. When you have 4 slots guarantees, most countries know they won't go to the world cup. With 6 slots, which after a Brazilian win was most likely under the old system, you have 4 teams who know they'll go the World Cup, and another 5 that think they can get one of the bubble slots. That's 3/4 of the countries at the confederation meetings complaining about the loss of a spot. After a European win you wouldn't have the uproar because only 4 teams are guaranteed. Almost half the continent saw a chance to get their country in the limelight, to get some positive media attention, and to get a little coin in their pockets. 32 teams is a standard, and expanding to include 4 marginal teams at best seems to cheapen the accomplishment of the others. The Cup should stand at 32 teams, because worldwide soccer should not give in to 5 marginal team in South America all want a chance to get knocked out in the first round. Their good, but not the same quality as the teams that could lock in a place under the existing structure. Why give in when the teams that will benefit will all be 3 and out?
I agree the CSF want everything their way especially that Brazil won the WC2002 and they expect FIFA to jump through hoops and bend over backwards to do whatever the CSF wants. WELL IT WON'T HAPPEN! 32 is a perfect number, the qualification allocations are right but they should try and have the previous winner automatically qualify because it is only fair to see them defend their title they battled hard to earn.