World Cup 2022 qualifying begins

[On High]

28 teams now qualified for Qatar.

Hosts - Qatar (1)
Europe - Germany, Denmark, Brazil, France, Belgium, Croatia, Spain, Serbia, England, Switzerland, Netherlands, Portugal, Poland (13)
Africa - Ghana, Senegal, Tunisia, Morocco, Cameroon (5)
South America - Brazil, Argentina, Ecuador, Uruguay (4)
Asia - Iran, South Korea, Japan, Saudi Arabia (4)
Americas - Canada (1)

Still to be decided...

Americas (2) - USA and Mexico likely to join Canada in the finals, unless Costa Rica thrash USA in their final game tonight, or Mexico manage to lose at home to Honduras.
Inter-confederation play-offs (2) - New Zealand and Solomon Islands play for the Oceania qualifying win, and likely face Costa Rica for the chance to reach their the finals. UAE and Australia will play-off for the right to face Peru (5th in South America) for the final place in Qatar.

I can't work out how those numbers are right as there's still Scotland, Ukraine or Wales to add to the mix

It could be the addition of Brazil to Europe as well as South America

[Silver Fox]

That'll do it!!

[Sanguine]

28 teams now qualified for Qatar.

Hosts - Qatar (1)
Europe - Germany, Denmark, Brazil, France, Belgium, Croatia, Spain, Serbia, England, Switzerland, Netherlands, Portugal, Poland (13)
Africa - Ghana, Senegal, Tunisia, Morocco, Cameroon (5)
South America - Brazil, Argentina, Ecuador, Uruguay (4)
Asia - Iran, South Korea, Japan, Saudi Arabia (4)
Americas - Canada (1)

Still to be decided...

Americas (2) - USA and Mexico likely to join Canada in the finals, unless Costa Rica thrash USA in their final game tonight, or Mexico manage to lose at home to Honduras.
Inter-confederation play-offs (2) - New Zealand and Solomon Islands play for the Oceania qualifying win, and likely face Costa Rica for the chance to reach their the finals. UAE and Australia will play-off for the right to face Peru (5th in South America) for the final place in Qatar.

I can't work out how those numbers are right as there's still Scotland, Ukraine or Wales to add to the mix

Yeah I just can't count/do geography, only 12 European teams qualified so far.

[RG30]

Went to Reading's finest Polish Pub The White Eagle for the match. Poland started well enough before allowing the Swedes back into it. Very fortunate they weren't down to 10 men in the 1st half when Goralski was booked for a tackle that in the Prem would have been sent straight to VAR for overturning. Ironically he was subbed at HT and his replacement Krychowiak won the subsequent penalty which Lewandowski tucked away and Zielinski was able to capitalize on a defensive error to wrap it up. An excellent achievement for the Poles to qualify out of this pathway where the teams appeared evenly matched on paper. They had the fortune of getting a bye into the final. Just time for them to deliver now on a World Cup stage having stunk the World Cup in the 3 tournaments I've seen them in (02, 06, 18).

[NathStPaul]

[NathStPaul]

Ideal group for me would be

England
USA
Iran
Wales/Scotland

[YorkshireRoyal99]

Ideal group:

England
USA
Iran/Morocco
Peru/Australia/UAE/New Zealand/Costa Rica/Saudi Arabia

Not sure why you'd want any of our home nations, they are the one's I'd want to avoid.

The worst group in the tournament would be something like the above, just replacing England with Qatar.

Even with the likes of Holland and Germany in Pot 2, I can't see their being too many groups of death where at least 1 top nation will be eliminated. On paper anyway.

[Winston Biscuit]

We need another EASY group to coast through

[NathStPaul]

Ideal group:
Not sure why you'd want any of our home nations, they are the one's I'd want to avoid.

Because they are interesting games. HTH.

[YorkshireRoyal99]

Ideal group:
Not sure why you'd want any of our home nations, they are the one's I'd want to avoid.

Because they are interesting games. HTH.

Fair enough then. I had taken it in the context of quality of teams rather than personal thought.

I'd "want" us to face Holland, Poland and UAE if I had a choice. Holland because we haven't played them in a while, Poland because of family and UAE because I don't think we've ever played them before.

[NathStPaul]

Ideal group:
Not sure why you'd want any of our home nations, they are the one's I'd want to avoid.

Because they are interesting games. HTH.

Fair enough then. I had taken it in the context of quality of teams rather than personal thought.

I'd "want" us to face Holland, Poland and UAE if I had a choice. Holland because we haven't played them in a while, Poland because of family and UAE because I don't think we've ever played them before.

I don't think easy games will help us in the long run. Playing Germany early in the Euros helped us imo, it is good to be tested early on.

The other teams I have picked are purely for personal preference. I am half Iranian so of course I'd like to see them play England and I put USA in because I want Iran to destroy them due to America's years of bullshit towards Iran.

[YorkshireRoyal99]

I don't really think it matters who you do/don't play at the group stages personally. Yes, it's always nice to have a top nation in your group and to potentially knock them out depending on who else is in the group, but ultimately you will come to face a tough draw at some stage, even if we get a "favourable" route to the final like we did back in 2018. Even then, we met a good Croatia side and would have met an even better France side as well.

The further you go into the tournament and the more you want a nation to go far or win it, you will come up against a top nation. I do think we can potentially and reasonably expect to be reaching the semi finals of the World Cup, so having an easier group, for me, won't matter as I'd back us at the moment to beat someone like Holland, Spain or Germany. If we faced a France, Brazil or Belgium, that may be a different story but we could turn those sides over as well, it's not as if we aren't capable.

[Hendo]

Would quite like a group of

England
USA
Iran, Japan or Morocco
UAE, New Zealand or Cameroon

[bcubed]

Ideal group for me would be

England
USA
Iran
Wales/Scotland

I don't know if you win anything but spot on!

[Sanguine]

NI Women's manager Kenny Shiels in a spot of bother after blaming his side's second-half capitulation to England, that means they can't qualify for the World Cup, on women being 'more emotional' than men and not dealing very well mentally with conceding goals.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/61089471

[Hendo]

NI Women's manager Kenny Shiels in a spot of bother after blaming his side's second-half capitulation to England, that means they can't qualify for the World Cup, on women being 'more emotional' than men and not dealing very well mentally with conceding goals.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/61089471

Jeez, what a dumb comment. Would imagine that is him done, rightly so.

[Ascotexgunner]

After the Eurovision debacle, I'm now expecting dodgy refereeing to see them to the World Cup. Wouldn't be suprised if VAR mysteriously breaks down in the Ukrainian penalty box.

[Sutekh]

After the Eurovision debacle, I'm now expecting dodgy refereeing to see them to the World Cup. Wouldn't be suprised if VAR mysteriously breaks down in the Ukrainian penalty box.

Reckon they should just cancel the tournament completely and award the WC to Ukraine now. Good for the environment too with all that airplane travel no longer being required.

[Silver Fox]

Getting a bit nervous about tonight, not least because if we win it seems like the world will be booing us

[NathStPaul]

Getting a bit nervous about tonight, not least because if we win it seems like the world will be booing us

I don't think that is the case. I heard a news report this morning about what is being done to make the Ukrainian team and supporters very welcome up there, sure it won't be going unnoticed.
Think we will see a very different response should Ukraine go on to play Wales in the final elminator game. No way the Welsh will have the level of class the Scots will show, they simply do not know how to.