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Comments: Faramarz, Zinsky & Shahryar: Actually, allocations total to 46 teams. FIFA will hold another playoff tournament involving six teams to decide the last two World Cup spots. The way this playoff works is to consist one team per confederation (except UEFA) and one additional team from the confederation of the host countries (i.e., CONCACAF for 2026 WC). Two of the teams will be seeded based on the FIFA Rankings. The seeded teams will play against the winners of the first two knockout games involving the four unseeded teams. So, there will be chance for a ninth team from AFC in this mini playoff with chances of making it to WC. This, more and more, appears and feels like NCAA March Madness with 64 teams and FIFA trying to copycatting it! Maybe in another 15-20 years will increase the totals to 64 as well! As for the actual tournament, UEFA got what she has wanted for past three decades- 16 teams in the WC and they got that. And so did CONMEBOL from 4.5 to 6 out of a total of 10 teams! This means 60% of the teams in CONMEBOL are making it!!!! How crazy is that? This baz-lo-bakhsesh was the only way FIFA was able to secure the passing of the 48 teams option. All that said, this will not bid well for AFC teams. Since it is nearly guaranteed that the 16 groups of 3 teams in the WC will include, at minimum, one of each UEFA and CONMEBOL (S. America) teams. Resulting to drastically diminish advancement of AFC teams. CAF teams will have much better chance to advance. Another serious and dangerous issue with groups of 3 would be the collaboration between two of the teams to eliminate their rival(s) in the group, i.e. the 3rd team. Best, DM...
Comments: Faramarz, Is the configuration you listed below for 2026 final? If so, I can tell you that the "Quality" of World Cup will diminish substantially. Also, the excitement of the Qualification games will be reduced also, in my opinion. In fact, I think that the first round of the World Cup games, will feel like qualification; and it takes away so much from the integrity of the games. After all, this is not Olympics!!!
Comments: This is for 2026 when Canada, USA, and Mexico will be the co-hosts. I'd hate to see which eight from Asia will make it. Top 5 will be sort of okay but the remaining three? UAE, Qatar, and Vietnam? ![[confused]](https://cdn.websitetoolbox.com/images/boards/smilies/confused.gif "Confused - :confused:") I think the hope is to have china to be a regular so they can penetrate the large Chinese market. But China has a long way to go. This year, it would have not been China.
Comments: Appreciate it.
Comments: Here it is Zinsky: AFC (Asia) – eight places (up from 4.5) Caf (Africa) – nine places (up from 5) Concacaf (North and Central America) – six places, of which three go to hosts (up from 3.5) Conmebol (South America) – six places (up from 4.5) OFC (Oceania) – one place (up from 0.5) Uefa (Europe) – 16 places (up from 13)
Comments: I used to. Let me check.
Comments: Faramarz, Do you know what is the breakdown for the 48 teams? How many from Asia?
Comments: Zinsky this sounds more and more like the european Championship that Shahryar was talking about. I am sure in each of the 16 groups there will be a European team and so, indeed part of the qualification will be done during the WC and a way of allowing the Europeans to have the exclusivity they wanted after the first round.
Comments: Expand to 40 teams (8 groups of 5 teams) – 88 matches Expand to 40 teams (10 groups of 4 teams) – 76 matches Expand to 48 teams (opening 32-team playoff round) – 80 matches Expand to 48 teams (16 groups of 3 teams) – 80 matches On January 10, 2017, the FIFA Council chose the fourth option and voted unanimously to expand to a 48-team tournament.[3] The tournament will open with a group stage consisting of 16 groups of three teams, with the top two teams progressing from each group to a knockout tournament starting with a round of 32 teams.[11] The number of games played overall will increase from 64 to 80, but the number of games played by finalists remains at seven, the same as with 32 teams. Each team will play one fewer group match than under the previous format, compensating for the additional knockout round. The tournament will also be completed within 32 days, the same as previous 32-team tournaments.[12]
Comments: FIFA is all about money. They change any rule if it brings more money to them. For now, they want N-America to have more teams because it’s a big market. I believe somewhere down the road they are changing the qualifications to allow more teams but eliminate them quicker as well. Sort of qualification during the WC. Either way, Iran should qualify just about every time. We have the talent and the love of the game. Management??? Never mind…
Comments: "I should also say that they do uncharacteristically well against Mexico, usually. I think the Mexican psyche has a complex about that game like we used to when playing arab teams." The statement is so true. I have always complained about The US vs Mexico games.
Comments: Cambodia Asks Iran To Help With Stalled Oil And Gas Exploration
Comments: Two ties today in Champions league. Atletico Madrid is such a tough team to play against!
Comments: I am really happy to see the smile on Azmoun's face. I was glad when I heard that he is going to Bielefeld. I think he will do well if given the chance. I was glad that he did not go to a bigger name team or league.
Comments: I should also say that they do uncharacteristically well against Mexico, usually. I think the Mexican psyche has a complex about that game like we used to when playing arab teams.
Comments: Shahryar jAn, totally agree about the USA team. They still play soccer like it is do va meidAni! I remember during the 98' WC one of Iran's strategies was to push the wingers out by giving them the lane to the corners. This worked really well because they took the bait every time, ran the ball down the lane but once at the corner they did not know what to do with it! :) I think some of this is the limited talent pool that they have. Some of it is also the football culture.
Comments: Keefer, To answer your question regarding USA's place in both FIFA and ELO rankings; I believe they are both inflated. There is no argument that the more games you play, the more points you can pile up, and US plays a lot of games. They have money and can set up as many friendlies as they wish. Faramarz, I do not believe that US team has the "right football culture", and they do not really understand the game, I am sorry to say. Until they do, I consider them second-tier team and that is being very generous..., probably at the bottom of the second tier group :) As for whether or not CONCACAF deserves 3.5 spots (really 4 spots); the short answer is NO. I believe they should have 2.5 spots. However, I am "OKAY" with them having more spots; since after all, this is not the European Championship league, and we need representatives from all continents. And the more representatives, the more excitement.
Comments: Hamvatan and Keefer what you guys are saying is really sad for me to hear. I did not know the extend of the crackdown on him. Blocking his accounts is just unbelievable. I should also say that many footballers have at times appeared to be beating their chest for our football. But in reality they have been really beating their chest for their own benefits. To mention a few, Azizi, Ali Karimi, and a few others can be mentioned. All of these were by some fans touted as championing the people's side of things. But look where they are now, Aziz and Karimi seems to have been bought out and have their own shows on TV. In comparison, Daei has been banned from all football activities. Quite eye opening, really. As Hamvatan mentioned, he is the true Champion for our football and his uncompromising attitude makes a whole lot of moftkhors and jireh khArs not want him back. He would clean up the house of all of them very quickly.
Comments: Faramarz jan. I have always said that the only thing in our football that is in the right place (in terms of stature and credibility) is Daei. The moftkhors cannot control him and he has never been a servant of the dozdz and mofkhors in power. He has always dedicated himself, achievements and his service to Iran and the nation not like some (Rezazadeh, Parvin, ...) who khayemali all the way to top. He is all business and no non-sense guy. He did not let AN into TM's locker room at half-time and open opposition started from then. They don't even let him do philanthropy work and block the accounts he was building houses after the EQ in Kermanshah.
Comments: Faramarz, I concur with all your reasoning on North American spots for World Cup and Daie's value to our football establishment. In the latter, it goes without saying that various governments in Iran are oblivious to شایسته سالاری principle! Very sad state. |
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