FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022

[RedHand88]

The 32 best teams in the world would be 80-90% European

[blasmere]

They a poor team, not win a game think but this hot weather, its hard to tell, only European teams I think do well is, Portugal or Spain where the weather is hot.

It will be the usual 6 European teams and Argentina and Brazil in the QF you may get one other team instead. It makes a mockery of the WC every time they keep expanding the tournament, more pub teams get in.  It is getting expanded to 48 soon and only about 15 euro positions - a joke. They should get about 25 based on rankings. I have said it before world qualifying would allow the best teams to actually qualify instead of the current farce.

Those pub teams federations give excellent bribes though to the FIFA Executive Committee

Probably true. UEFA must surely have enough clout though to fight for their own teams so why don't they?

It's one vote per country with fifa  I think so uefa are not in any better a position than some of the better federations most of whom have much poorer quality teams.

[From the Bunker]

Always thought the same. Having representation from all corners of the world is more important than having the best teams there.

Yes, getting to see teams from different continents play each other makes the WC makes it more interesting. Who wants to see a rehash of the Euro's.

[ONeill]

https://salience.co.uk/insight/magazine/world-cup/

[Capt Pat]

Always thought the same. Having representation from all corners of the world is more important than having the best teams there.

Yes, getting to see teams from different continents play each other makes the WC makes it more interesting. Who wants to see a rehash of the Euro's.

I think it is about getting the balance right between having the best teams and having representation from all over the globe. I personally would go more towards having the best European teams there. 

FIFAs sponsors probably want China and India in the tournament because of their populations.

[Kidder81]

Benzema out

[nrico2006]

Always thought the same. Having representation from all corners of the world is more important than having the best teams there.

Yes, getting to see teams from different continents play each other makes the WC makes it more interesting. Who wants to see a rehash of the Euro's.

My attempt at sarcasm didn't get through. If the 32 best teams in the world are from Europe, then that's what the World Cup should be. It shouldn't be about representation.

[thewobbler]

It's not possible to ascertain where the best 32 countries in the world come from, at any given time, unless there's an ongoing competitive worldwide "league" taking place. Which let's be honest, nobody wants to see.

And even if that was to happen, what difference would it really make to the outcome of the tournament? Ultimately, 9 times out 10, the only potential winners are those that have won it before. They just have more of what it takes;  the culture, the pedigree, the population, the talent.

[Eire90]

if the world cup was a straight forward knockout like the fa cup  with maybe  the last 16 onwards played in a host country it  be kinda of fun imagine ireland having to travel to samoa or somwhere to play a 1st round game.

[Ed Ricketts]

They a poor team, not win a game think but this hot weather, its hard to tell, only European teams I think do well is, Portugal or Spain where the weather is hot.

It will be the usual 6 European teams and Argentina and Brazil in the QF you may get one other team instead. It makes a mockery of the WC every time they keep expanding the tournament, more pub teams get in.  It is getting expanded to 48 soon and only about 15 euro positions - a joke. They should get about 25 based on rankings. I have said it before world qualifying would allow the best teams to actually qualify instead of the current farce.

The numbers might suggest that expansion has been good for non-traditional nations.

In the six tournaments since going to 32 teams we've had 9 non-Euro/Bra/Arg representatives in the last 8.
In the six tournaments prior to going to 32 teams we had 3 non-Euro/Bra/Arg representatives in the last 8/12.

So more involvement = more success for the 'pub' teams. Which is a good thing. The World Cup is more interesting when it is a world cup.

But Europe does seem to be getting a raw deal in the expansion to 48. Should probably be looking at ~19 qualifiers instead of the 16 slated, if the current shares were carried through. Africa and Asia do very well - a cynic might say this is Infantino and the lads shoring up their base, with perhaps an aspiration for more regular Chinese involvement.

I don't think this situation will persist though, it's too daft. The repechage tournament for the final two spots in 2026 looks like it will be particularly ridiculous. The 7th and 8th best teams from North/Central America, the 10th best team from Africa, the 9th best team from Asia, the 7th best team from South America, and the 2nd best group of islands in the Pacific. So, if this was in place for 2022, we'd see El Salvador, Honduras, Syria, DR Congo, Chile, and the mighty Solomon Islands fighting for two qualifying places. While half a dozen or more good European teams will have already been told to try again next time.

[Eire90]

china and india still  wouldnt have qualified this year if there was  48  teams  but they probably want to mskr it easier for them

[johnnycool]

Benzema out

What did he do this time?

Extortion, blackmail??

[seafoid]

https://mobile.twitter.com/BBCRosAtkins/status/1594225685303738368

[From the Bunker]

Morgan Freeman has taken the Buck!

[thewobbler]

They a poor team, not win a game think but this hot weather, its hard to tell, only European teams I think do well is, Portugal or Spain where the weather is hot.

It will be the usual 6 European teams and Argentina and Brazil in the QF you may get one other team instead. It makes a mockery of the WC every time they keep expanding the tournament, more pub teams get in.  It is getting expanded to 48 soon and only about 15 euro positions - a joke. They should get about 25 based on rankings. I have said it before world qualifying would allow the best teams to actually qualify instead of the current farce.

The numbers might suggest that expansion has been good for non-traditional nations.

In the six tournaments since going to 32 teams we've had 9 non-Euro/Bra/Arg representatives in the last 8.
In the six tournaments prior to going to 32 teams we had 3 non-Euro/Bra/Arg representatives in the last 8/12.

So more involvement = more success for the 'pub' teams. Which is a good thing. The World Cup is more interesting when it is a world cup.

But Europe does seem to be getting a raw deal in the expansion to 48. Should probably be looking at ~19 qualifiers instead of the 16 slated, if the current shares were carried through. Africa and Asia do very well - a cynic might say this is Infantino and the lads shoring up their base, with perhaps an aspiration for more regular Chinese involvement.

I don't think this situation will persist though, it's too daft. The repechage tournament for the final two spots in 2026 looks like it will be particularly ridiculous. The 7th and 8th best teams from North/Central America, the 10th best team from Africa, the 9th best team from Asia, the 7th best team from South America, and the 2nd best group of islands in the Pacific. So, if this was in place for 2022, we'd see El Salvador, Honduras, Syria, DR Congo, Chile, and the mighty Solomon Islands fighting for two qualifying places. While half a dozen or more good European teams will have already been told to try again next time.

When you describe the Solomon Islands as "mighty", and half a dozen European teams as "good", all I'm thinking is that you'd be happy enough with any World Cup format, as long as Ireland get there. That they would have no more impact on the tournament (currently) than the Solomon Islands doesn't seem important.