It needs to increase proportionally, IMO.
So I’m ok with it, as long as we also have 2x A-League seasons a year.
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Think of all the derbies!
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The finals would overlap with the early rounds of the next season, but I’d be ok with it.
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It’ll wind up like this
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TBF, football isn’t the problem, it’s how much access everyone has to watch it everywhere around the world all the time.
Less is more. That’s my answer to the WC cycle too.
Maybe this gets rid of some of them.
You have a guaranteed 1-month break every year.
Alternate between conference qualifiers and WC.
Ditch the Olympics competition.
Some ridiculous scorelines and results in the last week of European Qualifying. Some real ‘Glory days of Oceania’ vibes.
San Marino 0-10 England. Poland also beat them 7-1 a few weeks ago.
Serbia pipped Portugal 2-1 away from home on the final matchday to top the group for Auto qualification. Ronaldo spewin’.
Switzerland pipped Italy to top their group as well for Auto Qualification, with a 4-0 thumping of Bulgaria
France casually beat Kazakhstan 8-0 at home.
Turkey put Gibralter down 6-0. The Netherlands also put 6 past them without conceeding at home earlier in the campaign, before following it up with a 7-0 result later on.
Slovakia beat Malta 6-0 in the last matchday, and Croatia won 7-1 against Malta as well last week. In the same group, Russia beat Cyprus 7-0,
And Germany put 9 past Liechtenstein without conceeding last week.
I feel like these teams that are going to get pasted week in week out, and have no real chance of qualifying for anything other than being on the end of a ridiculous scoreline should play in their own group. I mean you put Gibralter, with the geographical area of the Sydney CBD, up against anybody with half decent football pedigree, and it’s going to be a footy score. It’s a dead rubber esentially.
Also, when did Macedonia become North Macedonia? I mean, there’s no South Macedonia (that I’m aware of)?
A few years ago they realised they’re slavs not greeks and stopped completely ripping off Phil the Macos homelands name.
Phil and his boy Alex came after Troy for those playimg at home.
That’s why I appreciate the UEFA Nations League so much the different divisions mean a chance for all teams to play at closer to their appropriate level and have some competitive football.
The African confederation qualifying is weird. 10 group winners now get drawn into 5 head to head ties (home and away) with those 5 winners taking the 5 spots. Pretty fucking stupid that you can boss a whole campaign, top a group etc, and still miss out on the big dance courtesy of an away goal or shootout.
It’s also not an abbreviated qualifying system due to Covid, they’ve used it before and it was decided to use again pre-pangolin.
And Scotland beat Denmark 2-0 at Hampden to ensure a home playoff.
Pity you couldnt do that in the 10th century!
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The Greeks were complaining that the Macedonians are actually Greek, so the Macedonians can’t be called Macedonians unless they’re in Greece. But if they’re called North Macedonians, they’re no longer Greek, but in fact Macedonians living in the North of Macedonia, with South Macedonia being comprised of Greeks living in South Macedonia. However the Greeks living in South Macedonia are actually living in the North of Greece that is in fact, Macedonia, so these Southern Macedonians or, Northern Greeks, are actually Macedonians and shouldn’t be mistaken with their Northern Macedonian brothers who, despite the fact that they’re Macedonians, aren’t Macedonians as they don’t live in Greece.
Hopefully that clears it up?
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It’s not fair, but the world cup is about the pinnacle of football isn’t it? You’re meant to have the best teams of each confederation playing against each other. It’s not exactly going to be very exciting and fair for a team like San Marino to get into the World Cup and have 20+ goals pumped against them playing against the best teams out there.
If anything there would be the Europa League equivalent for these teams with a second tier
Yeah I’ve never been a fan of the UEFA qualifying path for those reasons.
They’re onto a good thing, though, with the Nations League and they should use that as a filter (similar to the early stages of AFC qualifying) to minimise the minor teams with no real shot. Surely even they’d be better off playing friendlies among each other than being forced to have France or Germany or England put a dozen goals past them?
Something like having only having the group winners from League D, and the top two from each League C group, progress would make things so much better.
SBS is showing the last AFCON qualifiers.
Jesus - so depending on what football you’re trying to watch, it might me on 10, 10 Bold, 10 Play, Paramount+, Optus, Stan, Bein Sports or SBS.
Did I miss any?
What a shitshow.
It’s not so different from previously.
FoxSports, SBS, ABC, Bein all had stuff at the same time previously. That’s just off the top of my head.
Also - you think anyone else was looking to show AFCON qualifying? If they were they would probably have it.
The other way to look at it is that there’s far more football on Australian TV and streaming services than ever before
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I’m boycotting anyways.
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