Weak international teams - remove from qualifiers?

[Alanbileysfeathercut]

Isn't the second part of your argument countering the first part?

Surely corrupt FIFA pockets would prefer the bigger nations playing big shiny marketable games more often rather than having to bother with games like tonight which were only of financial benefit to the San Marino FA?

My second part wasn't an argument as such ,it was more a fact ,and I should have wrote although before that statement.

 

[evo1878]

As much as a mismatch and as humiliating as this might have for San Marino against England or for any fixture Gibraltar might’ve played, I once played rugby internationally for a country that would / should never make it to the World Cup finals. Like the Jamaican bobsleigh team we came within an (agonising) moment of achieving a sporting dream / miracle. It’s easy to judge the guys playing for San Marino or Gibraltar. But when you play you dare to dream. As players we felt crushed having come so close against every odds but I will never ever forget the completely unexpected heroes welcome we received when we got ‘home’. So if you’re ever lucky enough to play internationally like the guys who turned out for San Marino tonight it’s not about what Danny Murphy & Co think, it’s about being on that field having earned the right to compete in the first place. And it’s also about the lads who played before you who weren’t as good as you but they set a stage for you to perform on

It’s a thought…

 

[ClausThomsen]

The WC qualifiers ARE the competition that you have to filter out the garbage sides before the actual tournament. There's no need to have a pre qualifying tournament for qualifiers with 55 teams spread over 10 groups.

The FA Cup had 736 teams entering it last year in an already very crowded domestic calendar. That's when pre-qualifiers are required.

 

[woodsyni]

I find threads like this funny because when it comes to international football, everyone is waxing lyrical about removing the weak teams yet once you suggest a 18 team PL and removing garbage like Norwich, you receive abuse on here. Very inconsistent thinking from some people.

Or creating a European Super League so that the 'elite' don't have to bother with the riff raff anymore.

 

[Marius57]

I think for the lower ranked teams, it's a great opportunity and moment for them. But it's a total waste of time for the higher ranked teams. Yesterday didn't even look like a training game for the 10mins I watched. Looked like a few mates having a knockabout against some kids in a park.

They still deserve the opportunity to qualify, but don't know how to fix it so that it's actually worth watching.

 

[mccole]

I don't think they should be removed but I would like them to have a chance to qualify for major cups but by playing teams their own level.

A Nations League tournament would be great for their fans and countries.

 

[Marius57]

I don't think they should be removed but I would like them to have a chance to qualify for major cups but by playing teams their own level.

A Nations League tournament would be great for their fans and countries.

That's what I'd been thinking. Different groups for different rankings of teams. However, the point of the world cup is to have the best teams to have the best football on show.

 

[barneygumble]

That's what I'd been thinking. Different groups for different rankings of teams. However, the point of the world cup is to have the best teams to have the best football on show.

Guarantee them a play-off.

People talk about fairness, yet no one seems to care that the OFC has 0.5 spots for the World Cup. If it was inclusive for all, why aren't any of the teams guaranteed.

A nations league style, where a side who comes out victorious, gets home advantage in a play-off. Having the smaller nations play more competitive football can only improve them long term.

 

[Mikey_Fitzgerald]

I think when you look at the general standard of football in the UEFA confederation it's pretty strong outside of about 3-4 sides, so creating a mini-league with them and some of the others does a disservice to a lot of the pot 5 and 4 teams who are really too good for that sort of treatment

Plus, we've seen a general improvement in the likes of Georgia, Luxembourg, Malta, Faroe Islands etc over the years, to the point that they've all managed to get decent results against the likes of Italy and France, either getting a point or losing narrowly. Luxembourg went to France and held the French not too long ago for instance, whilst Malta almost beat Italy at home before losing 1-0 in a brave effort

To exclude teams like that doesn't help them but only makes it even less likely that they can kick on. You need to play the best sides in order to improve your own game. Pot 5 and 4 teams are only going to improve over the next few years, and there's every chance that some of the pot 6 sides could do so eventually as well

UEFA has a better standard of football across 50 sides than it's ever had previously, which shows to me that the current format is working. Armenia almost made a playoff place for instance, whilst North Macedonia continue to get good results. Finland have kicked on a lot as well over the past 20 or so years, not to mention Iceland achieving what they have done in the past decade after being whipping boys for years

The current system works. For all we know Liechtenstein could be the new Iceland in the next couple of decades

 

[anton66]

Playing the likes of San Marino are fantastic fixtures for the fans!

It’s the only time I make money betting these teams to get hammered.

 

[Nymzee]

I don’t think it matters too much mind. Most qualifying games are crap and frankly most games in the actual tournaments are crap with teams playing like rats trying not to lose instead of trying to win. Tournaments aren’t what they used to be.

 

[Chewbacca]

We can't get rid of poor teams though as it'd reveal that Southgate is more lucky than good.

I wouldn’t mind one of them there lucky managers

 

[Bruce Wayne]

I wouldn’t mind one of them there lucky managers

If our path to cup finals was mainly filled with teams below us in the league table you'd probably expect us to win.

 

[Woolverhampton_Blue]

I find threads like this funny because when it comes to international football, everyone is waxing lyrical about removing the weak teams yet once you suggest a 18 team PL and removing garbage like Norwich, you receive abuse on here. Very inconsistent thinking from some people.

I propose we scrap the whole nations thing. Just a circumcised 11 vs uncircumcised 11 best in the world. Played every two years.

 

[FCBarça]

Stat padding would take a hit and then there would be complaints