World Cup 2022 Qualifiers

[Super_horns]

Just now, Corky said:

Is the play-off only one leg?

1 semi and a final like with the Euros ones .

[Duquesne Whistle]

Just now, Corky said:

Is the play-off only one leg?

One legged semi final, then one off final with home team drawn from a hat x 3

[Duquesne Whistle]

2 minutes ago, Super_horns said:

Bit of needle and history from previous play off games.

 

Wales need a point to be seeded though as Poland lost .

 

Winner takes all final ?!

Over 100 years history in that match. Jock Stein's passing, Joe Jordan's handball and I'm sure there's loads of others the Welsh and Scots amongst us will remember. Would be a classic semi final or final, so there's a chance whether Wales joun Scotland in the seeded group or not.

As an England fan, you'd get to chuckle under your breath at the losers too 

Hope it happens.

 

[foxes_rule1978]

11 minutes ago, Super_horns said:

1 semi and a final like with the Euros ones .

Could be a bit sticky for Italy, I mean it’s not so straight forward. While overwhelming favourites to make it, I would have thought they would ease through their group too. 

[StanSP]

Italy in the playoffs

Did not expect that at all.

 

Evans keeping Insigne quiet is a good omen

 

 

Wales only need a draw and hope Turkey don't win by 4+ and they'll be seeded too. 

 

If Norway beat Netherlands, and Turkey beat Montenegro, Netherlands are out

 

 

[foxes_rule1978]

Just now, StanSP said:

Italy in the playoffs

Did not expect that at all.

 

Evans keeping Insigne quiet is a good omen

 

 

Wales only need a draw and hope Turkey don't win by 4+ and they'll be seeded too. 

 

If Norway beat Netherlands, and Turkey beat Montenegro, Netherlands are out

 

 

Netherlands being out isn’t anything new in recent times  

[StanSP]

2 minutes ago, foxes_rule1978 said:

Netherlands being out isn’t anything new in recent times  

True but compared to Turkey and Norway you'd have expected them to get enough to qualify! 

[Finnegan]

Italy 🤦

[Bert]

23 hours ago, Finnegan said:

Mh, yeah not good news for us. 

 

I've come to terms with the fact we won't qualify to be honest. I imagine we'll lose on Tuesday and be unseeded tbf at which point we'll like be boned whoever we get. 

If you lose and Czech win do you even get the playoff? 

[Bert]

53 minutes ago, Cardiff_Fox said:

Remember the love in for Italy over the summer? Only won two games in the last nine over 90 minutes 

Why oh why did we surrender to them? 😩

 

Seems like Scotland have already won the World Cup anyway, so don’t know why we are bothering with the tournament. 

[foxes_rule1978]

1 minute ago, Bert said:

Why oh why did we surrender to them? 😩

 

Seems like Scotland have already won the World Cup anyway, so don’t know why we are bothering with the tournament. 

They had hit a superb purple patch, however to this day I still think southgate could have won us that game with being a bit more ambitious. 

[Bert]

Just now, foxes_rule1978 said:

They had hit a superb purple patch, however to this day I still think southgate could have won us that game with being a bit more ambitious. 

They were there for the taking. 

[Finnegan]

4 minutes ago, Bert said:

If you lose and Czech win do you even get the playoff? 

 

Yeah we're already in the playoffs, we won our nations league group. But we want to get in via the group to be seeded. 

 

If we lose and they win we can still finish second, I think, if both results are by 1 goal. 

 

I don't think it's likely we'll be seeded unless Belgium really rest everyone and don't give a shit but, let's be honest, even their second string should be beating the team we'll be putting out. 

 

And Czech Republic are likely to beat Estonia by several. 

 

When you look at the quality of the teams in the play offs, though, it doesn't really matter. Even seeded we can't get out of that tbh. It's only 3 from 12 that make it I think? 

 

We're at the end of an era and the next generation will be very poor. It'll be a long time before we qualify for anything else again. 

[Jattdogg]

On 14/11/2021 at 16:53, Scotch said:

Which means... Thats EXACTLY who Scotland are going to get. I would bet my left testicle on it. 

So, did you place that bet?

 

 

Really hope Canada can keep momentum going, we have a good squad finally and it would be massive to make a world cup final.

[Detroit Blues]

5 hours ago, purpleronnie said:

As much as I like the USA and think they'll be a huge force in the future.  it's kind of crazy that you only have to finish in the top 3 of a group like that to qualify for the world cup.

It's definitely more competitive this qualification cycle due to the changes the confederation made for covid. There's 8 teams fighting for 3 places, and the windows are often 3 games each week.

 

If it wasn't for covid, it would have been 6 teams playing for 3 spots and Canada/Panama would not have been involved (due to their FIFA ranking at the time).

 

That said, this is likely the last true World Cup qualification cycle for concacaf. 2026 will likely include auto-bids for USA/Mexico/Canada, and there will be an expansion to 6 slots for the world cup. I like our concacaf frenemies more than most, but there's never 6 deserving teams in our region.

 

Right now I could argue for 3. I think USA/Canada/Mexico could all make it out of the group stage of a 32 team world cup. But Panama/Costa Rica/Jamaica would all be last in they groups.

 

Add to the mix a world cup every two years and FIFA will pretty much ruin the international game. 

[Jordan]

10 hours ago, Detroit Blues said:

It's definitely more competitive this qualification cycle due to the changes the confederation made for covid. There's 8 teams fighting for 3 places, and the windows are often 3 games each week.

 

If it wasn't for covid, it would have been 6 teams playing for 3 spots and Canada/Panama would not have been involved (due to their FIFA ranking at the time).

Canada and Panama would have still had a chance through a back door qualification under the original format, where the last team standing after a group stage and knockout rounds would have played the 4th place team in the “hexagonal” for a spot in the intercontinental playoffs.

 

I think the COVID-related changes are at least a little better and more equitable than the original format (even though that format was so biased towards the likes of my team, haha). The first half of the “octagonal” has shown that it would have been silly to not let a team like Canada play their way into the final round, a chance they and anyone else would have had in every other qualifying cycle in recent memory.

[Wymsey]

A good test for Wales tonight without Bale being present.

They'll need to get use to playing without him, as he's not getting any younger.

[spacemunky]

Gibraltar are winning!

[StanSP]

Cameroon vs Ivory Coast in a decider to qualify. Cameroon winning... 

[SouthStandUpperTier]

Has Praet been dropped from the Belgium squad or is he injured again?

[Finnegan]

KIEFFER MOORE YOU BIG LANKY BASTARD

[SouthStandUpperTier]

Clown shoes defending by Theate.

[KingsX]

I've got one eye on Wales - Belgium and one on Zambia - Tunisia.

 

Of our trio, only Castagne in the lineup/bench.  KdB with a dagger to @Finnegan's heart.  Then the equalizer from the hometown hero.  This could go either way.

 

Zambia are not ready for this level, although they do try to hoof it up to Daka who is well-marked.  He just had a point blank chance saved off a set-piece rebound, too bad.

Interesting to note more fouling and play-acting from him for Zambia than he does in our matches.  Third world football.

[Finnegan]

4 minutes ago, KingsX said:

This could go either way.

 

I promise you it couldn't they'll dick us

 

 

 

Edit: and he's from Torquay 

Edited 16 November 2021 by Finnegan

[KingsX]

1 minute ago, Finnegan said:

 

I promise you it couldn't they'll dick us

 

 

 

Edit: and he's from Torquay 

 

Plays for Cardiff though?  And I thought Torquay was in England?   Bloody hell, is Ward the only Welsh native in your side?