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Thread: World Cup 2026 - 48 team shitefest.

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    World Cup 2026 - 48 team shitefest.

    The AFC have just announced the process for Asian World Cup qualifying for 2026.

    8.5 spots, likely to be;

    Iran
    Japan
    S.Korea
    Saudi Arabia
    Australia
    UAE
    2.5 of China / Oman / Uzbekistan / Iraq

    The qualifying has been combined with the 2027 Asian Cup qualifying, and it's a bit of a clusterfuck.

    - R1: Pre-qualifiyng to get rid of the likes of Guam, Bhutan and Macau
    - R2: 9 groups of 4, top 2 qualifying for Round 3
    - R3: 3 groups of 6, top 2 each group qualify for World Cup, position 3-4 go to R4
    - R4: 2 groups of 3, top 1 each group qualify for World Cup, 2nd place teams playoff against each other, winner goes to R5
    - R5: Intercontinental play-off, winner goes to World Cup

    I doubt any Asian team will make the quarter-finals, unless South Korea can find a few more decent defenders.



    The actual World Cup itself will be held in MexiCanAm(?) in the summer 2026.

    16 groups of 3 teams () - which seems ripe for a lot of 0-0 draws in the final group games. Top 2 teams from each group head to the knockouts. It's kinda shit that a lot of not great teams will be there, but at the same time, it should be interesting to watch Peru versus Cape Verde.

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    ram it up your shitpipe Giggles's Avatar
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    United 2026

    The South Americans are doing well with only 40% missing out.

  3. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by Giggles View Post
    United 2026

    The South Americans are doing well with only 40% missing out.
    Aye, gonna take some going not to qualify.



    Presumably New Zealand will stroll through OFC.

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    Think of the money though.

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    Senior Member Jimmy Floyd's Avatar
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    Has everyone forgotten about W.Germany/Austria and the fact that 3-team groups fundamentally don't work?

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    The Artist Formerly Known as Taz
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    I don't see the drama, yes group stages are shit as a spectacle of the sport but more random country clashes and the shit will either be filtered out by KO or there will be some incredible upsets.

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    Senior Member Manc's Avatar
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    If anything the World Cup needs to downsize. 24 teams is probably the sweet spot.

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    Senior Member Jimmy Floyd's Avatar
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    I have gone through a couple of these World Cups on FM and what tends to occur is the group will be say Germany, Peru and Uzbekistan, and unless the first game is Germany v Peru (introducing a bit of jeopardy to Peru when they lose), then it's just a complete waste of time as Uzbekistan get battered 4-0 by both and go out.

    The only interesting groups would be the ones with a weak seed AND an unusually good pot 3 team.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Jimmy Floyd View Post
    I have gone through a couple of these World Cups on FM and what tends to occur is the group will be say Germany, Peru and Uzbekistan, and unless the first game is Germany v Peru (introducing a bit of jeopardy to Peru when they lose), then it's just a complete waste of time as Uzbekistan get battered 4-0 by both and go out.

    The only interesting groups would be the ones with a weak seed AND an unusually good pot 3 team.
    This basically. Any group whereby the top seed is involved in the final game of the group is basically going to be 0-0. The only real jeopardy will be if the pot 2 and pot 3 teams play each other in the final group game.

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    I said this when the European Super League was touted and it remains the case. Premier League aside, the various governing bodies in football do simply not know how to structure and organise football properly. The new World Cup and Champions League are abominations that should never have even got past the suggestion stage.

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    Senior Member Jimmy Floyd's Avatar
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    They're accountants who don't understand that making your product worse will utlimately (or fairly quickly, in fact) lessen its value. Mr Goose and Mr Faucet.

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    Senior Member Boydy's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Yevrah View Post
    I said this when the European Super League was touted and it remains the case. Premier League aside, the various governing bodies in football do simply not know how to structure and organise football properly. The new World Cup and Champions League are abominations that should never have even got past the suggestion stage.
    What's the new Champions League?

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    Senior Member Jimmy Floyd's Avatar
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    The Swiss System

    Comfortably the worst idea ever.

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    Senior Member Boydy's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jimmy Floyd View Post
    The Swiss System

    Comfortably the worst idea ever.
    Oh yeah, I remember hearing that now.

    Just had a read of how it works. Sounds absolutely awful.

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    ram it up your shitpipe Giggles's Avatar
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    I had a look there to jog my memory again and I still can't make head nor tail of it. Still a case of wake me up when the quarter finals start.

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    Knocked off work early, so put this together. Based on the current world rankings, and assuming the FIFA allow all 3 hosts auto-qualification (but not seeded into pot 1). 2 Inter-continental spots given to the next highest teams in the rankings (excluding UEFA). Groups drawn to avoid groups containing multiple teams from the same continent (which FIFA did for the last World Cup for UEFA teams).



    Group C looks tasty.. the rest, m'eh.

    And my prediction for 2nd round


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    The Artist Formerly Known as Taz
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    That looks great, group stages becoming as meaningless as the gammon's resistance to change and a straight KO tournament of much greater variety.

  18. #18
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    #TeamMelli

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    ram it up your shitpipe Giggles's Avatar
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    That looks like it'll be 3 knockout rounds deep before it'll be worth turning on.

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    Senior Member wullie's Avatar
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    They should just get on with making it 64 teams if they're going to expand it just to keep the four team groups with two going through, three team groups and best-placed third teams qualifying are all shit.

  21. #21
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    FIFA look set to announce that they are doing away with 3 team groups, and going with 12 groups of 4, with top 2 going through, along with 8 best runners-up.

    Groups of 4 way better than groups of 3.

  22. #22
    I used to be funny.
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    That still sounds a bit crap, to be honest.

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    Senior Member Jimmy Floyd's Avatar
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    Anything involving the phrase 'the eight best third-placed teams' is not sport.

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    Senior Member randomlegend's Avatar
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    Neither is anything with a tea break.

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    ram it up your shitpipe Giggles's Avatar
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    If you finish 3rd out of 4 teams then you should be fucking off home.

  26. #26
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    They announced the new World Cup 2026 logo/brand today and it's fucking rubbish.


  27. #27
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    The king of World Cup logos.


  28. #28
    Senior Member niko_cee's Avatar
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    #WeAre26?


  29. #29
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    What does that even mean?

  30. #30
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    Quote Originally Posted by Yevrah View Post
    What does that even mean?
    I think it's a reference to the legal age to smoke crack in Mexico. Is that right @Pepe?

  31. #31
    Senior Member Jimmy Floyd's Avatar
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    It looks like a video game logo, which is probably the intention.

  32. #32
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    Nailed it. It’ll be to push whatever shitty game FIFA put their name to after parting with EA.

  33. #33
    Webly Ian's Avatar
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    If the trophy was done as a sort of line drawing it'd look a bit less shit (only a bit) I think, but they've probably got some nonsense rule where if the actual trophy is being depicted it has to be in all its golden glory.

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    Asia first round starts today, with some proper shit teams giving it go.

    2 legged games, though don't be surprised if either Nepal or Afghanistan withdraw if they get dicked at home in the first leg.

    All winners go through to the proper group stage with everyone else from Asia (+Australia).

    Last edited by John Arne; 12-10-2023 at 07:48 AM.

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    Senior Member Bernanke's Avatar
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    Chinese Taipei vs. Timor-Leste.

  36. #36
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bernanke View Post
    Chinese Taipei vs. Timor-Leste.
    I'm personally looking forward to Indonesia smashing Brunei 12-0.

  37. #37
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    Myanmar 5-1 Macau
    Chinese Taipei 4-0 Timor-Leste
    Maldives 1-1 Bangladesh
    Singapore 2-1 Guam
    Nepal 1-1 Laos
    Cambodia 0-0 Pakistan
    Hong Kong 4-0 Bhutan
    Indonesia 6-0 Brunei
    Afghanistan 1-0 Mongolia

    Lol at Singapore stumbling to a 2-1 win at home to Guam (201 in the world). All other results pretty standard, given the results for the home teams, I suspect all 2nd legs will take place.

  38. #38
    The Artist Formerly Known as Taz
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    Pakistan and possibly Afghanistan look like decent results. The former along with India seem like they're making big strides.

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    DEATH TO THE WEIRD Raoul Duke's Avatar
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    Someone should do a spreadsheet of which country would be the easiest to qualify for and earn a cap. Like a ratio of [nationalisation] to [world ranking]

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    Senior Member Offshore Toon's Avatar
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    I'm fairly certain we could just buy AE a passport somewhere and let him av it.

  41. #41
    Bookie Sir Andy Mahowry's Avatar
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    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Edward_(soccer)

    Wiki says he was capped at U17 level for Australia.

    He'd have surely gotten capped for the senior Tanzania side.

  42. #42
    Senior Member Jimmy Floyd's Avatar
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    2010 Nashville Metros 6 (0)
    2011–2012 River City Rovers 23 (6)
    2013 Des Moines Menace 6 (0)
    2014 Wilmington Hammerheads 11 (0)

    Has anyone ever had a football career with a better average quality of club name? 'Des Moines Menace' is an all timer, and River City Rovers is poetry in motion.

  43. #43
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    Australia have pulled out of hosting 2034, which leaves Saudi Arabia as the only nation left.

  44. #44
    Senior Member Bernanke's Avatar
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  45. #45
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    Fuck the AFC, and fuck FIFA.


  46. #46
    Senior Member Jimmy Floyd's Avatar
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    Mental from an AFC perspective that they'd carry on selling out to that mob rather than trying to break new markets like India, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia. I guess it's less about the business long term and more about getting key people paid now tax free.

  47. #47
    Senior Member niko_cee's Avatar
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    When is the 2023 Club World Cup? Isn't it a mega long format now or is that from next year?

    Can't imagine they're going to wedge a month long tournament into December to suit certain interests. Oh wait.

  48. #48
    Senior Member Jimmy Floyd's Avatar
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    32 teams, hosted in god's United States in summer 2025. Apparently Chelsea have already qualified, maybe they take League Cup 2nd round performance into consideration.

    The last dinky one is in (wait for it) Saudi Arabia in December.

  49. #49
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    Vietnam kicked off their 2026 campaign with a great 0-2 away to Neil Etheridge's Philippines.

    On the plane.

  50. #50
    Senior Member Jimmy Floyd's Avatar
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    Mo Salah with two goals so far against Djibouti in the opening qualifier, they must be loving life. At least they turned up for the game, unlike Eritrea who have withdrawn from their game against Morocco, and the tournament as a whole, due to 'concerns that players would seek asylum during away trips'. Nothing says confidence in your national infrastructure like that.

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