FIFA World Cup expansion - now with added OFC qualification!

Not Boyd
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Good news for the All Whites?

Phoenix Academy
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Bad news for football?

and 1 other
One in a million
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Might give the other Oceania teams an amazing incentive.

Tegal
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Head Sleuth
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Tyler wrote:

Good news for the All Whites?

Bad. 

Under current format we get 2 meaningful games every 4 years, one of which is at home. 5 games if we qualify. 

Now we get 2 games every 4 years. Plus one game for each stage we qualify for. We'd need to reach the quarterfinals to get 5 games. 

Even if we qualify for the knockout stages, it wouldn't really mean anything - especially if we got there by beating a team in a penalty shootout. 

Not to mention 32 teams was perfection. This new format is much worse. The one good thing FIFA did was the World Cup, and now they've gone and ruined it so they could win an election. 

Marquee
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Marquee
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Tegal wrote:

Tyler wrote:

Good news for the All Whites?

Bad. 

Under current format we get 2 meaningful games every 4 years, one of which is at home. 5 games if we qualify. 

Now we get 2 games every 4 years. Plus one game for each stage we qualify for. We'd need to reach the quarterfinals to get 5 games. 

Even if we qualify for the knockout stages, it wouldn't really mean anything - especially if we got there by beating a team in a penalty shootout. 

Not to mention 32 teams was perfection. This new format is much worse. The one good thing FIFA did was the World Cup, and now they've gone and ruined it so they could win an election. 

On the flip side, an actual world cup will get more attention from the media and general public than qualifying games do, and it should generate more income through prize money and sponsorship.* More money means more chance of decent friendlies in between tournaments.

*Assuming we qualify of course

WeeNix
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Best option would have been for FIFA to include the two top Oceania teams in the final round of Asian qualifying, assuming they won't get rid of Oceania and break Asia in two. Whilst this will provide more income, I'm not sure ultimately it will improve the quality of the football the All Whites play. 

Legend
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about 17 years

Tegal wrote:

Tyler wrote:

Good news for the All Whites?

Bad. 

Under current format we get 2 meaningful games every 4 years, one of which is at home. 5 games if we qualify. 

Now we get 2 games every 4 years. Plus one game for each stage we qualify for. We'd need to reach the quarterfinals to get 5 games. 

Even if we qualify for the knockout stages, it wouldn't really mean anything - especially if we got there by beating a team in a penalty shootout. 

Not to mention 32 teams was perfection. This new format is much worse. The one good thing FIFA did was the World Cup, and now they've gone and ruined it so they could win an election. 

Really?

Appiah without the pace
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It's an interesting one for OFC. Works out well in the sense that WCQ isn't diluted because of more entry spots. Assuming added money comes with it, I wonder if there is an opportunity to socialise some of that money to fund a more comprehensive qualifcation process for both the Confeds Cup and the World Cup. Rather than have it all lumped in at once. Long shot, I know. 

WeeNix
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It does have the added Fever Forum bonus of going from a hope that we qualify for a World Cup to us being able to angst over not making it.

Marquee
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almost 13 years

Too much to write myself but think this is best I have seen with problem of having the extra teams and groups of 3. 

https://www.reddit.com/r/soccer/comments/5mwf3a/oc...

Legend
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2ndBest wrote:

It's an interesting one for OFC. Works out well in the sense that WCQ isn't diluted because of more entry spots. Assuming added money comes with it, I wonder if there is an opportunity to socialise some of that money to fund a more comprehensive qualifcation process for both the Confeds Cup and the World Cup. Rather than have it all lumped in at once. Long shot, I know. 

You have to say this is a good thing for the AWs 

Marquee
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Yakcall wrote:

Too much to write myself but think this is best I have seen with problem of having the extra teams and groups of 3. 

https://www.reddit.com/r/soccer/comments/5mwf3a/oc...

8x6 is far preferable. Group winners only to QF

It's also possible that expanding to 48 is very bad for Sth America. Their qualiers are excellent and IMO the best football going. 

Marquee
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Feverish wrote:

2ndBest wrote:

It's an interesting one for OFC. Works out well in the sense that WCQ isn't diluted because of more entry spots. Assuming added money comes with it, I wonder if there is an opportunity to socialise some of that money to fund a more comprehensive qualifcation process for both the Confeds Cup and the World Cup. Rather than have it all lumped in at once. Long shot, I know. 

You have to say this is a good thing for the AWs 

Only if OFC direct entry

If not its join East Asia if AFC splits

If not that yeah we're fudgeed

Marquee
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2ndBest wrote:

It's an interesting one for OFC. Works out well in the sense that WCQ isn't diluted because of more entry spots. Assuming added money comes with it, I wonder if there is an opportunity to socialise some of that money to fund a more comprehensive qualifcation process for both the Confeds Cup and the World Cup. Rather than have it all lumped in at once. Long shot, I know. 

Yes for sure. Having a viable and competitive qualification process is critical for success. 

WeeNix
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about 9 years

bennie99 wrote:

Best option would have been for FIFA to include the two top Oceania teams in the final round of Asian qualifying, assuming they won't get rid of Oceania and break Asia in two. Whilst this will provide more income, I'm not sure ultimately it will improve the quality of the football the All Whites play. 

Again with this? AFC won't split and absorve OFC. I think Oceania will be granted 1,5 spots, which means an Island team will get thrashed every four years in the playoff but at least they will have better chances than they do now.

I thought the 32 team format was perfect to keep the WC both competiting and entertaining, but clearly there's been a lot of pressure to expand it. I don't like this idea, the group stage will have loads of meaningless matches and that thing about deciding drawn matchs on penalties sounds very MLS in the 90s when they decided drawn matches in some weird way. But all possible formats were pretty bad I guess.

Marquee
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almost 13 years

Saw this on Twitter: "Using FIFA rankings, here's how World Cup 2026 groups could look. Seeds listed first; top 2 go through. Hell of a draw for Wales and England"

Marquee
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almost 17 years

Tegal wrote:

Tyler wrote:

Good news for the All Whites?

Bad. 

Under current format we get 2 meaningful games every 4 years, one of which is at home. 5 games if we qualify. 

Now we get 2 games every 4 years. Plus one game for each stage we qualify for. We'd need to reach the quarterfinals to get 5 games. 

Even if we qualify for the knockout stages, it wouldn't really mean anything - especially if we got there by beating a team in a penalty shootout. 

Not to mention 32 teams was perfection. This new format is much worse. The one good thing FIFA did was the World Cup, and now they've gone and ruined it so they could win an election. 

But good for New Zealand Football (the entity).  Almost guaranteed money for the organisation, trips for execs...

Marquee
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foal30 wrote:

Yakcall wrote:

Too much to write myself but think this is best I have seen with problem of having the extra teams and groups of 3. 

https://www.reddit.com/r/soccer/comments/5mwf3a/oc...

8x6 is far preferable. Group winners only to QF

Clubs would never let that happen.

First Team Squad
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I'm in two minds about this.

From a financial point of view its great for NZF. We would get a big financial shot in the arm every WC. It would give the game here almost total financial security....providing NZF don't fudge it up.

From a playing point of view I'm not so sure. OK it would get the AW's more media coverage att home every four years and we would have two possibly three WC games to get excited about.....but then what? what about the other three years? the AW's are invisible in NZ.

I would prefer us to be in the expanded WC Asian playoffs.The AW's need profile games, both home and away. If we were in the Asian playoffs we would get home and away games against high profile sides like Australia,Japan Korea etc. In some ways  going straight to the WC directly from Oceania would feel a little like we snuck in through the back door. Under the expansion Asia will possibly end up with at least three more places. If we could not qualify out of that group we wouldn't deserve to be at the WC IMO. But if we did it would at least feel like we had earnt our place.

As a fan I want to see my side play important matches at home against proper sides....Oceania does not do it for me. 

Marquee
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COCKerill in SMH today: oz should consider return to Oceania. LOL

Legend
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austin10 wrote:

I'm in two minds about this.

From a financial point of view its great for NZF. We would get a big financial shot in the arm every WC. It would give the game here almost total financial security....providing NZF don't fudge it up.

From a playing point of view I'm not so sure. OK it would get the AW's more media coverage att home every four years and we would have two possibly three WC games to get excited about.....but then what? what about the other three years? the AW's are invisible in NZ.

I would prefer us to be in the expanded WC Asian playoffs.The AW's need profile games, both home and away. If we were in the Asian playoffs we would get home and away games against high profile sides like Australia,Japan Korea etc. In some ways  going straight to the WC directly from Oceania would feel a little like we snuck in through the back door. Under the expansion Asia will possibly end up with at least three more places. If we could not qualify out of that group we wouldn't deserve to be at the WC IMO. But if we did it would at least feel like we had earnt our place.

As a fan I want to see my side play important matches at home against proper sides....Oceania does not do it for me. 

Jumping the gun there

Marquee
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over 15 years

aitkenmike wrote:

foal30 wrote:

Yakcall wrote:

Too much to write myself but think this is best I have seen with problem of having the extra teams and groups of 3. 

https://www.reddit.com/r/soccer/comments/5mwf3a/oc...

8x6 is far preferable. Group winners only to QF

Clubs would never let that happen.

Which is why 40 at 8x5 was the smarter move or a transition. 

Marquee
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Global Game wrote:

COCKerill in SMH today: oz should consider return to Oceania. LOL

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!

Marquee
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Yakcall wrote:

Saw this on Twitter: "Using FIFA rankings, here's how World Cup 2026 groups could look. Seeds listed first; top 2 go through. Hell of a draw for Wales and England"

I quite like this. In fact I like it a lot.

WeeNix
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670
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over 16 years

Argie96 wrote:

bennie99 wrote:

Best option would have been for FIFA to include the two top Oceania teams in the final round of Asian qualifying, assuming they won't get rid of Oceania and break Asia in two. Whilst this will provide more income, I'm not sure ultimately it will improve the quality of the football the All Whites play. 

Again with this? AFC won't split and absorve OFC. I think Oceania will be granted 1,5 spots, which means an Island team will get thrashed every four years in the playoff but at least they will have better chances than they do now.

I thought the 32 team format was perfect to keep the WC both competiting and entertaining, but clearly there's been a lot of pressure to expand it. I don't like this idea, the group stage will have loads of meaningless matches and that thing about deciding drawn matchs on penalties sounds very MLS in the 90s when they decided drawn matches in some weird way. But all possible formats were pretty bad I guess.

I just said that If you actually read what I Iwrote. Which is why I said getting the top two sides in the final round of Asian qualflying is the better option to actually develop football talent.  If that isn't an option, well, fine, but sorry to actually want NZ football to develop from being a plankton.

WeeNix
200
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670
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over 16 years

austin10 wrote:

I'm in two minds about this.

From a financial point of view its great for NZF. We would get a big financial shot in the arm every WC. It would give the game here almost total financial security....providing NZF don't fudge it up.

From a playing point of view I'm not so sure. OK it would get the AW's more media coverage att home every four years and we would have two possibly three WC games to get excited about.....but then what? what about the other three years? the AW's are invisible in NZ.

I would prefer us to be in the expanded WC Asian playoffs.The AW's need profile games, both home and away. If we were in the Asian playoffs we would get home and away games against high profile sides like Australia,Japan Korea etc. In some ways  going straight to the WC directly from Oceania would feel a little like we snuck in through the back door. Under the expansion Asia will possibly end up with at least three more places. If we could not qualify out of that group we wouldn't deserve to be at the WC IMO. But if we did it would at least feel like we had earnt our place.

As a fan I want to see my side play important matches at home against proper sides....Oceania does not do it for me. 

Exactly what i think. Us in the expanded Asian playoffs is the best way to get meaningful games between world cups and develop talent.

Marquee
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Global Game wrote:

COCKerill in SMH today: oz should consider return to Oceania. LOL

Inasmuch as I respect MC's intelligence, I could not stop laughing.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/football/world-game/8...

Personally I think it was either tongue-in-cheek, or a clickbait for enraged comments.... or both.

Tegal
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Head Sleuth
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almost 17 years

foal30 wrote:

Yakcall wrote:

Too much to write myself but think this is best I have seen with problem of having the extra teams and groups of 3. 

https://www.reddit.com/r/soccer/comments/5mwf3a/oc...

8x6 is far preferable. Group winners only to QF

It's also possible that expanding to 48 is very bad for Sth America. Their qualiers are excellent and IMO the best football going. 

A lot of meaningless games in that format. Plus a lot of games, the tournament would be too long. 

I'm surprised European clubs haven't complained as it is, with the tournament likely to be 8 days longer under the new format. 

Marquee
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over 11 years

Agree Tegal (over 8 X6). But no meaningless games in the above scenario. Could get quite cut-throat even.

Imagine Spain 4 Australia 0 , Spain 4 (or 5) NZ 0  .......... then NZ v Australia

The better Barnes
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over 12 years

This could open the door for more chances at decent friendly games, as other countries won't be tied up with their own qualifiers

Starting XI
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over 11 years

Think we'll see more boring games since like the last Euros the format is going to encourage draws. 2 draws all but guarantees progression and there will be teams going through with 1 point which doesn't seem right. But there will be more chance to qualify for countries who would usually just miss out.

Marquee
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almost 13 years

ajc28 wrote:

Think we'll see more boring games since like the last Euros the format is going to encourage draws. 2 draws all but guarantees progression and there will be teams going through with 1 point which doesn't seem right. But there will be more chance to qualify for countries who would usually just miss out.

Except one of FIFA's brilliant ideas (Sarcasm) to solve this for the World Cups (Also to combat collusion between teams) is that instead of draws, we will have a result by now including penalties shoot outs.

Appiah without the pace
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over 16 years

Kyle1502 wrote:

This could open the door for more chances at decent friendly games, as other countries won't be tied up with their own qualifiers

perhaps. Really depends on how other confederation reshape qualification. Can't see any change in South America (unless they move to two groups of 5 to make qualification more meaningful?) North America could get rid of the hex entirely, but they would probably replace it with more games in the early stages to give minnows more opportunities for games. AFC....who knows really.

Marquee
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Yakcall wrote:

ajc28 wrote:

Think we'll see more boring games since like the last Euros the format is going to encourage draws. 2 draws all but guarantees progression and there will be teams going through with 1 point which doesn't seem right. But there will be more chance to qualify for countries who would usually just miss out.

Except one of FIFA's brilliant ideas (Sarcasm) to solve this for the World Cups (Also to combat collusion between teams) is that instead of draws, we will have a result by now including penalties shoot outs.

really? thats fudgeed. But its a fudgeed answer to a silly problem they have created

Marquee
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kwlap wrote:

Yakcall wrote:

ajc28 wrote:

Think we'll see more boring games since like the last Euros the format is going to encourage draws. 2 draws all but guarantees progression and there will be teams going through with 1 point which doesn't seem right. But there will be more chance to qualify for countries who would usually just miss out.

Except one of FIFA's brilliant ideas (Sarcasm) to solve this for the World Cups (Also to combat collusion between teams) is that instead of draws, we will have a result by now including penalties shoot outs.

really? thats fudgeed. But its a fudgeed answer to a silly problem they have created

And doesn't actually solve the problem. You could have 3 0-0 draws and eacch team could win one on penalties and there'd still be no way to split them
Appiah without the pace
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That's a problem that exists now those, isn't it?

Marquee
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from the guardian

"The proposed breakdown would comprise: Europe 16 teams (13 currently); Africa 9 (5); Asia 8.5 (4.5), South America 6 (4.5), Concacaf 6.5 (3.5), Oceania 1 (0.5), Host nation 1 (1)."

Bit shark if Oceania only gets 1 full spot. But also that concacaf gets more spots that south america. Europe doesn't need 16 places. That's just greedy. I mean, that's just fifa...

fyi, good article by the guardian on this.
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2017/jan/10/4...

Marquee
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almost 13 years

To be honest, I'm not sure Oceania deserves more than one spot. Maybe if there was something in it that regulations that it could be looked at later but at the moment the conference doesn't have enough strong teams to warrant two places. 

Marquee
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2ndBest wrote:

That's a problem that exists now those, isn't it?

Yes, but less likely to happen because an extra team in the group means twice as many games for there to be different results in.

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