Weak international teams - remove from qualifiers?

[duncs pigeon]

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

QPR say hi

 

[Papa Shango]

Absolutely not. They are nations (or principalities etc) like all the other nations.

If they have a team then they should get the same as every other nation does.

 

[Toffeeslam]

There should be a pre-qualifying round where teams that have a low ranking play off for the chance to enter the qualifying round proper.

Reduces the amount of qualifying games and weeds out the really poor teams

 

[gonetomorrow]

You can't keep streamlining everything. It's like the Elite League that was rumoured a while ago. Totally against the spirit of the game.
International football is dull enough without restricting competition to the same pool of countries. Bring on The Faroes!

 

[ForestBlue]

You can't keep streamlining everything. It's like the Elite League that was rumoured a while ago. Totally against the spirit of the game.
International football is dull enough without restricting competition to the same pool of countries. Bring on The Faroes!

Egypt?

 

[duncs pigeon]

Just looking at the Fifa World rankings from 10 years ago. Wales were 66 and Belgium were 67th, look how far those two nations have come, both have done well at major tournaments in last few year. Whilst I think the present format does need changing, it does give nations a chance to progress.

 

[mmmmsnouts]

There should be a pre-qualifying round where teams that have a low ranking play off for the chance to enter the qualifying round proper.

Reduces the amount of qualifying games and weeds out the really poor teams

This is how CONCACAF does it, in a continent where probably 80% of the teams are absolute dross. Your Grenadas and Barbadoses and Bermudas play each other for a round or two, and the actual good sides (USA, Mexico, etc.) don’t even enter until the last round. You can still play your way in, but there are no drubbings like San Marino losing 0-10 to England.

 

[Pittsburgh Footy]

They should have their own group, and the winner plays the last team into whatever tourney they are qualifying for (euros/WC, etc) or something like that

 

[Terrarian]

In the context of fairness, we can't just decide which countries can enter and which can't, any country has the right to enter the competition I do think maybe a qualifying set of matches first to reduce the number of those teams.

 

[grandjoeblue]

Some regions already have pre qualifiers and it seems to work. In the euro league they seen to have closer games with Gibraltar playing Andorra etc. Not really sure how England have managed to get Andorra and San Marino in the same group.

 

[Martin Alvito]

This is how CONCACAF does it, in a continent where probably 80% of the teams are absolute dross. Your Grenadas and Barbadoses and Bermudas play each other for a round or two, and the actual good sides (USA, Mexico, etc.) don’t even enter until the last round. You can still play your way in, but there are no drubbings like San Marino losing 0-10 to England.

It's what the FA does as well - non-league teams play a bunch of qualifying rounds before the professional teams start joining in the first round proper.

With the changes resulting from the giant payoff to the minnow confederations that is the World Cup expansion to 48 teams, I'd say the solution is pretty straightforward. UEFA gets sixteen slots. Seed through the sixteen teams that qualified last time around, and have the rest play a qualifying round to cut to sixteen. Then just run eight groups of four, top two teams advance.

UEFA does not and will not do this because it would result in fewer marquee games as well as eliminate the high-stakes, high-viewership playoff round, but it would be the smart way from the standpoint of competitive balance and reducing the heavy fixture load players are expected to carry these days.

 

[duncs pigeon]

Some regions already have pre qualifiers and it seems to work. In the euro league they seen to have closer games with Gibraltar playing Andorra etc. Not really sure how England have managed to get Andorra and San Marino in the same group.

It was because some groups had six teams. They had to allow for the fourvteams who competed in the Nations League finals.

 

[verreauxi]

Football eugenics, yay!

 

[carolinablue232]

There should be a pre-qualifying round where teams that have a low ranking play off for the chance to enter the qualifying round proper.

Reduces the amount of qualifying games and weeds out the really poor teams

Yep. Same thing other federations do.

 

[TimHowardsBeardJuice]

I think world cricket has a good model with the West Indies team. Those players are still playing for their country but they band a number of smaller nations together to make a competitive side. Could work with Caribbean islands, and also with Oceania. Might not ever win the WC but might be a tough out.