World Cup 2022 FIFA World Cup (Qualifiers)

Dec 22, 2009
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Tickets to matches will grant football fans ‘FIFA ID’s’.

Qatar will use this to grant visas.

Ergo. No ticket to a match and you cannot enter Qatar. Designed with accommodation supply in mind apparently.

Concerning as it will make it easy for the government to track those who decide to use the tournament as a platform to protest Qatari human rights abuses and oppression. Assume it will be linked to passport ids etc.
 

Coolangatta

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Oct 27, 2007
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If FIFA insists on the number of spots for the 48 teams that they do, this is how I'd arrange the qualifiers.

*Playoff and group pot seeds according to FIFA rankings.

Europe Qualifying
Spots 16
Teams 55
Groups 8 (number of teams per group: 7, 7, 7, 7, 7, 7, 7, 6)
Qualifiers: Top 2 from each group

Asia Qualifying
Spots 8
Teams 46
Groups 8 (number of teams per group: 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 5, 5)
Qualifiers: Winner from each group

Africa Qualifying
Spots 9
Teams 54
Groups 9 (number of teams per group, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6)
Qualifiers: Winner from each group

North & Central America Qualifying
Spots 6 (USA, Mexico, Canada auto qualify)
Teams 35 -- (this time 32)
Groups 6 (number of teams per group, 6, 6, 5, 5, 5, 5)
Qualifiers: Normally winner from each group but this time, the three winners of three playoffs between the group winners

South America
Spots 6
Teams 10
Group 1
Qualifiers: Top 6

Oceania
Spots 1
Teams 11
Groups 2 (number of teams per group, 6, 5)
Qualifiers: Winner of the playoff between group winners

Final two spots
Playoff group tournament at the host nation/s between the best performing third-placed European team, best performing second-placed Asian team, best performing second-placed African team, best performing unqualified group winner from North & Central America in their group, 7th place in South America's qualifying, and the runner-up of the Oceania playoff final. The top 2 from this group qualify.

Instead of 16 groups of 3, I'd have 12 groups of 4. The group winners + four best runners up qualify. Yes, there'd be some dud games between third and fourth-placed teams that cannot qualify, but that already happens. Two teams sitting on 6pts wouldn't sit back and do nothing if they knew that 7pts wouldn't automatically guarantee them a last 16 spot, though.
 
If FIFA insists on the number of spots for the 48 teams that they do, this is how I'd arrange the qualifiers.

*Playoff and group pot seeds according to FIFA rankings.

Europe Qualifying
Spots 16
Teams 55
Groups 8 (number of teams per group: 7, 7, 7, 7, 7, 7, 7, 6)
Qualifiers: Top 2 from each group

Asia Qualifying
Spots 8
Teams 46
Groups 8 (number of teams per group: 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 5, 5)
Qualifiers: Winner from each group

Africa Qualifying
Spots 9
Teams 54
Groups 9 (number of teams per group, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6)
Qualifiers: Winner from each group

North & Central America Qualifying
Spots 6 (USA, Mexico, Canada auto qualify)
Teams 35 -- (this time 32)
Groups 6 (number of teams per group, 6, 6, 5, 5, 5, 5)
Qualifiers: Normally winner from each group but this time, the three winners of three playoffs between the group winners

South America
Spots 6
Teams 10
Group 1
Qualifiers: Top 6

Oceania
Spots 1
Teams 11
Groups 2 (number of teams per group, 6, 5)
Qualifiers: Winner of the playoff between group winners

Final two spots
Playoff group tournament at the host nation/s between the best performing third-placed European team, best performing second-placed Asian team, best performing second-placed African team, best performing unqualified group winner from North & Central America in their group, 7th place in South America's qualifying, and the runner-up of the Oceania playoff final. The top 2 from this group qualify.

Instead of 16 groups of 3, I'd have 12 groups of 4. The group winners + four best runners up qualify. Yes, there'd be some dud games between third and fourth-placed teams that cannot qualify, but that already happens. Two teams sitting on 6pts wouldn't sit back and do nothing if they knew that 7pts wouldn't automatically guarantee them a last 16 spot, though.
You got to remember Asia, America and Africa have several levels of qualification ..for example Asia would never split 46 teams over 8 groups for final qualif….only 12 currently go on to final group. Otherwise it would be seriously non competitive
 

Coolangatta

Norm Smith Medallist
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You got to remember Asia, America and Africa have several levels of qualification ..for example Asia would never split 46 teams over 8 groups for final qualif….only 12 currently go on to final group. Otherwise it would be seriously non competitive
Yeah, but the result is the same, it's always the same few teams who qualify, and at least this way, by essentially removing the first and second rounds of qualifying, teams don't have to grind out 20+ games to qualify, although there's no way to shorten the South American qualifiers unless you split them into two groups of five, which would be completely unnecessary. Weaker teams should have more exposure to stronger teams, imo.

edit: if you seeded the Asian teams into 8 pots of 6 with the exception of 2 pots of 5, and those 2 pots of 5 teams were the lowest-ranked Asian teams, you could keep the top sides like Iran away from the bottom sides like Brunei. The bottom sides hardest opponents would be someone in the 9th-14th ranking.
 
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darth_timon

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I know it's still some six months off, but I keep wondering about the team England should take to the World Cup. If it were happening this summer, I know who I wouldn't take if I were manager, but I also know my options in some positions might be limited enough to force my hand.

The squad size is not permitted to be any more than 23 players, of which I believe three have to be goalkeepers. With that in mind...

The 'Keepers: Pickford, Ramsdale, and Pope. Based on his valiant efforts for Everton, I'd start Pickford.

Defenders: I'd be lining up with four at the back, and I'd want four central defenders, two right-backs and two left-backs on the plane. Stones, Tomori and Ben White, and then I hit a wall. I don't want Maguire. We might as well play with ten men instead of playing him. However experienced central defenders are hard to come by, at least at international level. Joe Gomez has been in and out through injury and isn't getting enough game time. Lewis Dunk is experienced at club level but not at international level. Tyrone Mings has a bit more experience but is he good enough? Marc Guehi is inexperienced. There is also Eric Dier, who makes the cut on the basis of experience at international level.

Reece James comes along at right-back, with Ben Chilwell at left-back. As much as I love him, Alexander-Arnold misses out, with Kyle Walker coming along, and Cresswell too. Slim pickings at left-back, but I'm not convinced by Shaw.

Going with a 4-3-3, at least in the centre of midfielder we have a few good options. Henderson, Mount, Bellingham, Loftus-Cheek, Ward-Prowse, Saka, Grealish, Foden, they're all capable enough. However I can't take them all, so it would be Mount, Henderson and Ward-Prowse, Grealish, Foden and Bellingham making the flight.

Up front, we have issues. Kane has had a ropey season but ultimately he knows how to score goals. He naturally goes. Sterling frustrates me but he can play out on the wing and create. Rashford has been poor for a while, and Sancho needs to show a bit more. Tammy Abraham has scored 15 goals in 34 appearances for Roma at the time of posting this. Ivan Toney is the second-highest English scorer in the Premier League this season. Saka has a few goals too.

I'd take Kane, Sterling, and Abraham. I'd take Toney and Saka too. To finish off the squad, though not because he'd necessarily get a lot of game time, Ollie Watkins.

Right, that's it then. Feel free to pour scorn, rip apart, whatever.
 
Dec 22, 2009
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Apparently when you bribe your way to host a world cup in a country clearly unsuited to such an event you earn the right to not change your human rights abusing ways.


I really hope we see a protest en masse with rainbow flags everywhere. Qatari authorities will not be able to shut that down and arrest everyone, that would be disastrous for them politically.
 
Apparently when you bribe your way to host a world cup in a country clearly unsuited to such an event you earn the right to not change your human rights abusing ways.


I really hope we see a protest en masse with rainbow flags everywhere. Qatari authorities will not be able to shut that down and arrest everyone, that would be disastrous for them politically.
But but you changing username if Zidane goes to PSG makes a difference :drunk:

Does nothing.
 
Dec 22, 2009
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Scotland smashed by Ukraine. Not even their 'I once drank an Irn-Bru so I'm Scottish' ring ins could save them.

I would back the Ukranians to go through agaisnt anyone at the moment. A very proud nation with their backs to the wall against an aggressive neighbor.
 
Aug 21, 2016
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I would back the Ukranians to go through agaisnt anyone at the moment. A very proud nation with their backs to the wall against an aggressive neighbor.

Ukraine had spirit but were also technically very good. They didn't look like a team that hadn't played together recently or had fitness issues. Zinchenko was brilliant in midfield. He's wasted at left back for City.

But Clark got his tactics all wrong. He started with 2 up top and 5 defenders which meant Ukraine had time on the ball to pass it around at the back and through the midfield. McGinn was man marking their midfield stopper FFS. They started having a crack in the second half and should have got it back to 2-2. McGinn missed an absolute sitter of a header from 3 yards out. Billy Gilmour is ok when given space but he's built like a girl and gets brushed off the ball.

The next game should be interesting. I expect Ukraine to have a lot of the ball but Wales have more forward threat with Bale (if fit), Moore and James.
 
Tickets to matches will grant football fans ‘FIFA ID’s’.

Qatar will use this to grant visas.

Ergo. No ticket to a match and you cannot enter Qatar. Designed with accommodation supply in mind apparently.
Yeah
I need to supply a copy of my passport as well as, in effect, a recent passport photo.

This will provide me with a Hayya card. Which in effect is my visa.

Doing a cruise which is in port for the Quarter Finals. Already got my ticket to the Quarter Final at Luisail (Venue of the final). And the cruise has an excursion organised for the other day for one of the other quarter finals.
 
I would back the Ukranians to go through agaisnt anyone at the moment. A very proud nation with their backs to the wall against an aggressive neighbor.
One of 11 teams unbeaten in qualification.

England, Belgium, France, Switzerland, Serbia and Morocco enter the world cup without a loss.
Ukraine and New Zealand play this week with the chance to qualify without a loss
Brazil and Argentina play the postponed game in a dead rubber in September
Burkina Faso failed to qualify despite going unbeaten (3w, 3d, 0l in their group, finishing 2nd and failing to qualify for the next round)
 
Jun 21, 2007
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Football players mindset, “We are 5 minutes away from getting eliminated from World Cup contention, so I am going to take this shot from 30 metres out when the ball is bouncing and I am not even looking at the goal. Ah well, hopefully we get another opportunity to score.“ 😂
 
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