FIFA World Cup: Qatar 2022 • Page 54

Australia-Denmark has been quite the snooze fest

 

To be fair, the next 16 best teams likely aren't much different quality from the previous 16 - although there'll continue being a relatively big gap to the top 16 teams.

 

Playoff expansion in almost every sport blows. As a casual soccer viewer.....I'm sorry to hear this. Qualifying for the world cup should be a reward in itself.

Didn't I read they wanna give us Canada and Mexico auto births too since they're all hosting?

 

If they add 16 more to include a wider variety of nations, they could keep the format relatively the same.

You could still do groups of 4, with 48 teams total. Top 2 from each group still make it. However, the knockouts is where a change would have to be made....

You can't go from 24 teams to 12 to 6...to 3....

So, you could just do something like: top 8 teams in points earned during group stages get a bye essentially. That leaves 16 teams remaining for first round of knockouts. After that, those 8 winners join the 8 teams with a bye. And you just continue as normal from there.

 

Host always gets a guaranteed place. There was talk about removing the guaranteed spots but they haven’t come to a decision yet.

 

Generally the hosts are good enough to qualify anyway (excepting two hosts), so it’s not like the US, Mexico, and Canada who all qualified for this one wouldn’t most likely qualify for the next one.

 

Leckie!

 

What a counter by Australia!

 

I still prefer keeping everything as is, but this format could make every single game meaningful. The top teams would be trying to win that third game. It'd eliminate situations like today where France are sitting guys and giving Tunisia an easier game than Denmark or Australia had against them.

 

What a solo run on that. Good lord, turned that defender inside out twice.

 

He almost went right over the top of the ball when he striked it too.

 

Good grief the Aussies are lucky there.

 

If current scores stand I have australia in the chorus sweepstakes and in my jobs sweepstakes lol

 

But the us didn't qualify last time and Canada hasn't qualified in forever. They're not guarantees and to give 3 teams auto spots is crazy to me.

 

Hence the use of generally/most likely. If there are 48 teams, 6 from CONCACAF get in... you can almost guarantee we'd make up 3 of those going through qualifying anyway. We've made 7 of the last 8, Mexico has made all 8. Canada definitely has the most to gain from being given a host spot, but they won this round of qualifying handily and have a very young, talented squad to keep getting better while Panama and Costa Rica (the main losers of us not having to qualify) are mostly overage players in the twilights of their careers.

 

Please don't tell me Denmark are going to try and score a goal that's pointless for them? Snides.

 

I missed that Tunisia scored.

 

Australia getting out of the group stage in their first World Cup without their "golden" generation is pretty awesome for them.

 

This talk about 2026 got me thinking.....I'm assuming it's going to be impossible to get tickets but I think going to a WC match at Azteca would be so cool. I might look into that over going down to Atlanta.

 

I’m planning on trying for KC

 

I'm definitely trying for whatever matches I can get in Atlanta. Especially if there's the rumored semi there.

 

The closest game for me is Toronto but I don't want to know how expensive that is going to be. I am probably not going to end up going to a game. Shit is way too pricey and there is a ton of shit I could do with that cash as far as traveling.

 

Must be insanely annoying to be Tunisia right now. Beat France and still don’t get through the groups.

 

Did you see the France line-up? Camavinga at left back! Truly was a "well, we're already in" line-up.

 

Should just add 8 teams and do groups of five. Sure it adds 32 games but more soccer is good and it helps ensure the best teams make it out of groups

groups of three are kinda lame, way too easy to advance