FIFA World Cup 2014 Qualifying

[Keystone Phil]

Yeah, I'm creating this thread now. There's never an off season.   Plus, qualifying has been under way in all areas except Europe anyway.


Use this thread to discuss the qualifying process for all confederations (though the superior confederation - UEFA - ought to dominate conversation).

[Platypus]

I think you'll find that the AFC is the superior confederation.At least since Australia joined it.

No but srly, the AFC looks like it'll be sending all three of the top 3 - Japan, Australia, Sth Korea. Even fourth and fifth look like they're not going to offer big shocks.

[Platypus]

(to be honest, only Japan looks comfortably qualified so far, with South Korea probable. Australia's not doing as well as we should be, but has no real cause for concern in at least making the top three in the group, and is, independently, clearly one of the five best sides in the AFC)

( Then again anything can happen in such a low-scoring sport)

[Prez Duke]

I hope this is America's year. It's time we dominated soccer like we dominate basketball, baseball, American football, and golf.

[Keystone Phil]

I hope this is America's year. It's time we dominated soccer like we dominate basketball, baseball, American football, and golf.

Ok.

[Lief]

Don't worry Duke, it's gonna be. Of course haters like Phil won't like it, but no one ever said that loving America was easy.

[argentarius]

Well Ireland don't look like getting through... Sweden and Germany. Yikes. We could finish 4th in our pool. I guess I'll be cheering on New Zealand again. Who'll we be up against in that playoff thing? Costa Rica? Canada? Jamaica?

[Keystone Phil]

Don't worry Duke, it's gonna be. Of course haters like Phil won't like it, but no one ever said that loving America was easy.

The chest beaters are still steaming over not being allowed to compete in the Euros! How dare those Europeans!

[Lief]

The USA beat Italy 1-0 a few months ago, so they would have easily made it into the Euro final at least. Obviously.

[Hatman]

Canada hasn't choked... yet.

We have a good group (that is, fairly weak) with Honduras, Cuba and Panama. We drew Honduras 0-0 last month which isn't that bad, since they're a better team (and it was in Toronto). However, we did play better than them.

[JulioMadrid]

Spain will win this thing, again. I'll be in Brazil rooting from.the,.

[Californian Tony]

I hope this is America's year. It's time we dominated soccer like we dominate basketball, baseball, American football, and golf.

Americans can only dominate American sports.

[I left.]

Spain will win this thing, again. I'll be in Brazil rooting from.the,.

Don't get carried away...

[Keystone Phil]

Spain will win this thing, again. I'll be in Brazil rooting from.the,.

Spanish fans have become the most unbearable. Yeah, they have a great team. Yeah, they're history makers. But the cockiness makes you almost forget that they had a long history of being the biggest joke underachievers.

You're going to be that arrogant two years before the tournament, Julio? Ok. Just remember that when you guys fall, it's going to be hard.

[Insula Dei]

Belgium ought to stand a reasonable chance at qualifying. Croatia and Serbia aren't the most daunting of Poule A or Poule B teams to have to deal with. (And just look at how strong we are on paper: Kompany, Van Buyten, Fellaini, Lukaku, Hazard,... Why don't we ever play well as a team?)

[Keystone Phil]

Belgium certainly has a shot at advancing to the play off. Croatia starts out as a slight favorite to win the group but this is still one of the most wide open - if not the most - of the groups. Even Scotland could advance to the playoff.

[JulioMadrid]

Spain will win this thing, again. I'll be in Brazil rooting from.the,.

Spanish fans have become the most unbearable. Yeah, they have a great team. Yeah, they're history makers. But the cockiness makes you almost forget that they had a long history of being the biggest joke underachievers.

You're going to be that arrogant two years before the tournament, Julio? Ok. Just remember that when you guys fall, it's going to be hard.

I'm just trolling a bit, Phil. I'm just doing what you did when Santorum, and then Sarkozy, where running . The difference is that I'm not serious.
Oh, and about being underachievers... IMHO, what matters is the present, not the past.

[Keystone Phil]

Present not the past, eh? Spare us the Euro 2008 talk then.

[Јas]

The draw for the qualifying groups came at an unfortunate time for us - 3 months later and our FIFA ranking would have been good enough to make us a second seed. Oh well.

I see we have Germany at home in October. Mmm.
March next year look like the point at which we see how serious we are, Sweden away followed by Austria at home 4 days later.


Malawi got off to a dissapointing start in their qualifying, but Nigeria are not going strongly, so all hope hasn't been lost just yet.

I hope this is America's year. It's time we dominated soccer like we dominate basketball, baseball, American football, and golf.

America dominates golf?

Well Ireland don't look like getting through... Sweden and Germany. Yikes. We could finish 4th in our pool. I guess I'll be cheering on New Zealand again. Who'll we be up against in that playoff thing? Costa Rica? Canada? Jamaica?

Let's not rule out the new OFC Champions, Tahiti, of claiming the OFC spot just yet.

[Hatman]

Upcoming fixtures - should we have another tipping competition?

Sept 7
Jamaica vs. United States
Guatemala vs. Antigua & Barbuda
Costa Rica vs. Mexico
El Salvador vs. Guyana
Cuba vs. Honduras
Canada vs. Panama
Colombia vs. Uruguay
Ecuador vs. Bolivia
Argentina vs. Paraguay
Peru vs. Venezuela
New Caledonia vs. New Zealand
Solomon Islands vs. Tahiti
Croatia vs. Macedonia
Wales vs. Belgium
Bulgaria vs. Italy
Malta vs. Armenia
Kazakhstan vs. Ireland
Germany vs. Faroe Islands
Andorra vs. Hungary
Estonia vs. Romania
Netherlands vs. Hungary
Albania vs. Cyprus
Iceland vs. Norway
Slovenia vs. Switzerland
Azerbaijan vs. Israel
Luxembourg vs. Portugal
Russia vs. Northern Ireland
Latvia vs. Greece
Liechtenstein vs. Bosnia & Herzegovina
Lithuania vs. Slovakia
Moldova vs. England
Montenegro vs. Poland
Georgia vs. Belarus
Finland vs. France

Sept 8
Scotland vs. Serbia
Denmark vs. Czech Republic

Sept 11
Uzbekistan vs. South Korea
Lebanon vs. Iran
Jordan vs. Australia
Japan vs. Iraq
Antigua & Barbuda vs. Guatemala
United States vs. Jamaica
Guyana vs. El Salvador
Mexico vs. Costa Rica
Panama vs. Canada
Honduras vs. Cuba
Chile vs. Colombia
Peru vs. Argentina
Uruguay vs. Ecuador
Paraguay vs. Venezuela
New Zealand vs. Solomon Islands
Tahiti vs. New Caledonia
Belgium vs. Croatia
Scotland vs. Macedonia
Serbia vs. Wales
Bulgaria vs. Armenia
Italy vs. Malta
Austria vs. Germany
Sweden vs. Kazakhstan
Hungary vs. Netherlands
Romania vs. Andorra
Turkey vs. Estonia
Cyprus vs. Iceland
Norway vs. Slovenia
Switzerland vs. Albania
Israel vs. Russia
Northern Ireland vs. Luxembourg
Portugal vs. Azerbaijan
Greece vs. Lithuania
Bosnia & Herzegovina vs. Latvia
Slovakia vs. Liechtenstein
England vs. Ukraine
Poland vs. Moldova
San Marino vs. Montenegro
Georgia vs. Spain
France vs. Belarus

[Keystone Phil]

Italy has jumped six spots to sixth place in the (usually silly) FIFA rankings.

England is up to fourth.

[NVGonzalez]

Looks like Mexico will be able to cruise back to the WC. We also have a weak group with Guyana, El Salvador and Costa Rica. I expect we make 1st place in the hexagonal. My only question is who will be qualifying 3rd with Mexico and the U.S. and if the 4th placer can beat New Zealand.

[Platypus]

Looks like Mexico will be able to cruise back to the WC. We also have a weak group with Guyana, El Salvador and Costa Rica. I expect we make 1st place in the hexagonal. My only question is who will be qualifying 3rd with Mexico and the U.S. and if the 4th placer can beat New Zealand.

Italy couldn't

[Keystone Phil]

Yeah but Italy could beat Australia. Remember that game in 2006?

[Gustaf]

Why did they pair Oceania v CONCACAF and CONMEBOL v Asia? They should have switched it around so the stronger teams qualify.