Match Day Thread WC Group I

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Kalman II said:
32 teams in 8 groups of 4 wasn’t broke so why fix it? It’s like the EFL Championship play-offs being expanded to include 7th and 8th.

A team that finishes 3rd in a group of 4 should never qualify for the knock-off rounds of any tournament. It’s bollocks. It reduces jeopardy and cheapens the competition.
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Qualifying for the WC used to be an achievement to be celebrated. Now its harder not to qualify
 
pierredelafranchesca said:
why? don't think anyone has expressed issues with teams coming 2nd qualifying have they?
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Africa had 9 qualifying slots instead of five due to the increase in this WC they likely wouldn’t have qualified with just five

You seem to have a bee in your bonnet about it
It’s more football
That’s a good thing

Countries like Haiti will grow from this it will inspire their young kids to play

As it will other countries
 
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pierredelafranchesca said:
9 places for Asian teams seems way too high in retrospect, over half of them, Qatar, Jordan, Iraq, Saudi and Uzbekistan propping up the table in their groups with 2 points between them......makes you wonder if nations like Kazakhstan, Georgia and Azerbaijan regret joining UEFA, they'd have a decent chance of qualifying for world cups if they rejoined Asia, they've absolutely no hope through European routes
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Kazakhstan, Georgia and Azerbaijan have no place at a World Cup <laugh>

World cup will surely go back to 32 teams after this farce?
 
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No one thought cape verde and south africa would finish top two

Forget scotland, South korea are on the brink of going out
Uruguay already out
 
Chazz Rheinhold said:
So Cape Verde qualified coming second in the group
Shouldn’t even be there uff uff uff
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Always good to see the surprise package, there’s one at every international tournament always has been. No they probably wouldn’t be there with a proper World Cup schedule.

I’m not particularly opposed to more teams but this current format is absolute ****e for the reasons Pierre already listed.

64 teams, 16 groups, only group winner progress. That gives more countries the opportunity to participate and makes the first round genuinely competitive, as a single slip up could see any team eliminated. It won’t happen because the money men want all the big sides in the knockout rounds and that would surely see one or two drop out, but it would be a big improvement on this nonsense.
 
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Chazz Rheinhold said:
Africa had 9 qualifying slots instead of five due to the increase in this WC they likely wouldn’t have qualified with just five

You seem to have a bee in your bonnet about it
It’s more football
That’s a good thing

Countries like Haiti will grow from this it will inspire their young kids to play

As it will other countries
Click to expand...
No issues with teams qualifying on merit, and personally think continents should be rewarded for over performance with future allocations of places, African teams have shown up really strongly here Asian teams have stunk the place out, is it fair that they get equal places at the next world cup? Not for me.

I also don't buy this encouraging kids to play football stuff, it's biggest game in the world and needs little encouragement anywhere. Not sure what allocations are for future world cups for north American teams but having their biggest 3 teams get a pass as hosts has opened the door for a couple of teams, Haiti and Curacao as a one off.

To be really clear, my biggest gripe is the format and 3rd place teams qualifying, by a distance. Yes I also hold a view that having too many sub standard nations cheapens the tournament, but it's been cheapened enough by FIFA with out that so meh. Have said on another thread I'd rather add a other 16 crap teams and go back to just top 2 qualifying
 
Chazz Rheinhold said:
Africa had 9 qualifying slots instead of five due to the increase in this WC they likely wouldn’t have qualified with just five

You seem to have a bee in your bonnet about it
It’s more football
That’s a good thing

Countries like Haiti will grow from this it will inspire their young kids to play

As it will other countries
Click to expand...
I thought it was going to be bobbins, and as many have said some, but not all, third placed teams going through is a farce as well as being awful for the fans who are there in person and can’t book tickets, hotels, travel etc

And yet, I’m actually loving seeing some of the minnows of world football getting involved and going toe to toe with the big boys. Ecuador beating Germany, Cabo Verde going through in proper second place. It’s like the third round of the FA Cup - not that many upsets, but the ones that happen are like fairy stories that’ll inspire kids in the victorious countries for years.

It’s made me question what the World Cup actually is - if it’s just a tournament to find who’s best then fair enough, whinge about why Saudi Arabia are there rather than it just being the Euros plus a couple of South American and African teams. But I think this one really is a celebration of football designed to promote it across the world - and if so it’s succeeding.
 
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pierredelafranchesca said:
No issues with teams qualifying on merit, and personally think continents should be rewarded for over performance with future allocations of places, African teams have shown up really strongly here Asian teams have stunk the place out, is it fair that they get equal places at the next world cup? Not for me.

I also don't buy this encouraging kids to play football stuff, it's biggest game in the world and needs little encouragement anywhere. Not sure what allocations are for future world cups for north American teams but having their biggest 3 teams get a pass as hosts has opened the door for a couple of teams, Haiti and Curacao as a one off.

To be really clear, my biggest gripe is the format and 3rd place teams qualifying, by a distance. Yes I also hold a view that having too many sub standard nations cheapens the tournament, but it's been cheapened enough by FIFA with out that so meh. Have said on another thread I'd rather add a other 16 crap teams and go back to just top 2 qualifying
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You don’t think kids will be more inspired to have their own heroes from. Their own country??
Really??
I’ll leave it you’ve gone down a rabbit hole on this
 
Chazz Rheinhold said:
You don’t think kids will be more inspired to have their own heroes from. Their own country??
Really??
I’ll leave it you’ve gone down a rabbit hole on this
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go to any country in the world and young kids are playing football wearing European kits their heros wear. Unlike other sports football is not struggling for participation numbers or heros
 
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