How many of you are as excited as I am about the World Cup in two years from now? Well, I'm so excited I decided to go ahead and make an official thread for the event ahead of time. So the question is already here, how do you see the World Cup going? Which 32 teams will make it into the finals? I'm not asking who will win it all, that is going way too far at this point, but how would you like it to go on a realistic level? Also, if you could, please give some details on your selections. You don't have to as this is time consuming, but I'd like to have a big discussion going here. The Rules of Qualification South Africa automatically qualify as hosts. In the UEFA region, 53 teams compete for 13 places in the final. In the CONMEBOL region, 10 teams compete for 4 or 5 places in the final. 1 In the CONCACAF region, 35 teams compete for 3 or 4 places in the final. 1 In the CAF region, 51 teams compete for 5 places in the final. In the AFC region, 43 teams compete for 4 or 5 places in the final. 2 In the OFC region, 10 teams compete for 1 possible place in the final. 2 1 Note that the 5th place CONMEBOL team faces against the 4th place CONCACAF team for a finals spot. 2 Note that the winner of the OFC region will face against the 5th placed AFC team for a finals spot. Here are some interesting things to note when choosing which 32 teams you believe will qualify. From Wikipedia - The OFC qualification process began with a tournament at the 2007 Pacific Games in August. The top three, New Caledonia, Fiji, and Vanuatu, will contest the 2008 OFC Nations Cup with New Zealand, in a four-team group with each team playing the others on a home-and-away basis. The winners will play the 5th placed team in the Asian competition to determine who advances to the World Cup finals. I've made a list of some of the teams to look out for based on the World rankings and personal opinion. Remaining OFC Nations New Zealand Fiji New Caledonia Vanuatu Notes: It will be difficult for even the top ranked Oceanic team to defeat the fifth ranked Asian team. However, this region will get a lot stronger over time now that Australia are out of the picture. This allows the remaining nations an opportunity to compete in a meaningful worldwide FIFA event instead of always being defeated by Australia who will ultimately finish within the top three in the AFC qualification. In turn, this could give the top OFC nation some courage to go all out and outshine their competition for that final spot in the FIFA World Cup finals. The chances I'm giving for the OFC team to win against the AFC team is 1/10. Predicted qualification outcomes: N/A AFC Groups Group A Australia Japan Uzbekistan Bahrain Qatar Group B Iran South Korea Saudi Arabia Korea DPR United Arab Emirates Notes: I'll get right to it; Uzbekistan are one hell of a team and I'm ashamed I ever misjudged them before the qualifications began. They have one of the most underrated strikers in the World in Maksim Shatskikh. If you guys aren't familiar with this guy, he's a 187 cm powerhouse striker that currently has 29 goals in 38 appearances for his country. Also, no, they do not just face easy competition either. They look solid enough to finish second or third in their group behind Australia, who have a superior team. I still believe Iran will be on top of their group in the end, but in second will be South Korea followed by Saudi Arabia. The third placed teams in each group must face one another after the group stage has ended. Whoever wins that two-leg series will have to face New Zealand of the OFC for the final spot in the 2010 World Cup finals. Predicted qualification outcomes: Iran, Australia, South Korea, Japan and Uzbekistan (over New Zealand) Top 20 CAF Nations Nigeria Cameroon Côte d'Ivoire Guinea Tunisia Morocco Senegal Egypt Ghana Mali Zambia Togo Angola Equatorial Guinea South Africa Mozambique Cape Verde Islands Congo DR Benin Algeria Notes: Africa is really growing in terms of overall footballer talent. Many of these nations only have one fault, and that being between the pipes. In any case, this is going to be one exciting tournament for the African continent as a whole with any type of war of other fighting aside that is. To start, don't be fooled by the rankings. Any of the top twenty could actually slip into the finals somehow. That is what makes the African qualifying one of the best. Nigeria at number one is really pushing it for FIFA considering how badly they've been beat by other nations over the last two years. Sure, they have a long history of success, but that doesn't mean anything at the moment. They may miss out on the finals again if they're put in a group with stronger competitors. South Africa are the hosts, so they make it through by the fault. They may be ranked low, but they're really pushing their youth talent these days. Expect some unknowns to make the final roster cut and also make note that they are being managed by the great Carlos Alberto Parreira. I expect Cameroon and Côte d'Ivoire to make it through this year without much of a hassle. Cameroon are the most successful international African nation and missing out on the previous World Cup has still since been a complete shock to football enthusiasts. Meanwhile Côte d'Ivoire are the top rising CAF nation and have a plethora of talent already with more on the way from the look of their youngsters. Tunisia have managed to make it through to the previous three World Cup finals, but are still given no love from the critics. Too many people take this nation for granted and this may actually end up being the infamously predicted single African nation to make a truly massive impact at the World Cup in South Africa. Don't sleep on them, they may do something big. Then we have old powers Morocco and Algeria who were both once at the highest pedestal in African football. Morocco has hung in quite well, but Algeria took a huge dive off the high mark. Perhaps this will be the World Cup that signals the return of both of these nations to African footballing power? We'll have to wait and see as it may happen when looking at their young up-and-comers. Both teams will have a few superstars on the big club powers of UEFA soon enough. Make a note of this too; don't expect much from Angola unless they get lucky in the draw. Sorry to put them down, but they were lucky to make it to Germany in 2006. We finish up Africa with Egypt, Guinea and Senegal; the ups and downs of African greats.These three making the finals is really up in the air. I think we can expect at least one of them to get through depending on the CAF qualifying pool team placements. With other rising nations like Zambia and Ghana I wouldn't be too certain. This is what is going to make the CAF qualifications so great. Only two teams are really looking at the finals right now, those being Cameroon and Côte d'Ivoire. South Africa on the other hand are patiently awaiting which five nations will join them in 2010. Predicted qualification outcomes: Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, Morocco, Tunisia and Nigeria Top 10 CONCACAF Nations Mexico United States of America Canada Costa Rica Honduras Trinidad and Tobago Panama Cuba Haiti Guatemala Notes: United States and Mexico come on down, you're through to the FIFA World Cup 2010! Well, not exactly, but don't expect either of them to actually be dropped from making an appearance in South Africa as they are far and away the best two competitors in CONCACAF. With that out of the way let's move on to the others who will be fighting it out for the other two possible spots. Canada are ranked quite high in my honest opinion. Not to put them down in any way that they are bad, but Honduras have some star quality players that have the ability to play on powerhouse clubs in Europe. Internazionale's new top striker David Suazo comes to mind right from the start. This guy will run rings around the Canadian defenders these days. Then you have Costa Rica who've made a nice little showing at the previous World Cup despite dropping out before the second round. Remember though that they had great success in the 1990 World Cup when they reached the second round, but that was long ago. The problem now is that Costa Rica don't really have any great up-and-comers and they'll also be without their previous big stars who have retired from international play. However, with the guaranteed third spot all three nations have a great opportunity to make it into the finals in 2010. Trinidad and Tobago may never see another World Cup in their history and it looks to be even more bleak for them now that many of their international stars have retired. I won't write them off, but they will have a tough time staying up with the previous three competitors I have noted. If it comes down to them actually snagging fourth place then expect them to be tossed around by the fifth placed CONMEBOL side in that playoff for a finals spot. The chances I'm giving for the fourth placed CONCACAF team to win against the fifth placed CONMEBOL team is 1/50. Predicted qualification outcomes: Mexico, United States of America and Honduras CONMEBOL Nations Argentina Brazil Uruguay Colombia Paraguay Chile Peru Ecuador Venezuela Bolivia Notes: Argentina and Brazil will go through to the finals. We all know that right now. However, it will be interesting to see which nation goes through at the top going into the World Cup 2010. Right now Argentina are ranked higher and rightfully so since they are the more well rounded side. Brazil still have that triangle hole in their defense and unless they solve that then don't expect them to do much in terms of along run in South Africa. The rest of the teams will be difficult to separate going all the way down to Bolivia. Don't expect to see Bolivia in the finals. The rest all have an opportunity. Uruguay really need to get back on track. They have lately, but I think that they can do even better. The small nation has won the World Cup twice such a long time ago and the people over there are craving a return to dominance. Not with Argentina and Brazil hanging around. However, returning to finals glory and making your way into the second round would be a way of letting the World know you're not to be looked down upon anymore. In 2006 they were the South American doormat to the World Cup for Australia and I don't think they're going to take kindly to that expression. I expect a lot from them this time out. Paraguay will also be another team to keep an eye on. They have made it into the second round three separate times over seven total appearances and will be looking to finally improve over that mark this time out. The problem is that not only will they have to go through a tougher Uruguayan side, but also tangle with a strongly improving Colombian outfit. The Colombians are my pick to go through in the third slot behind Argentina and Brazil mostly because they've been improving at all aspects of the professional game including their domestic first division league. With many of their best players at their peaks they will need to look to the future. They have plenty of young talent and will be looking to unleash many of them at the World Cup similar to how South Africa will all likely be approaching the tournament. The thing is, this could pay off in the end or blow up in their faces. We'll have to wait and see. I don't expect Ecuador to return to the World Cup finals. Many individuals in South America have complained that their stadium locations had a lot to do with their World Cup 2006 qualification. This being due to the high altitude. I think that's a load of crap to be honest because Ecuador played very well in Germany. Whatever the case, they may not even get to play at home for qualifying matches so don't expect them to have their supporters to help guide them through. I wouldn't write them off though, just be patient for now. Chile and Peru and up and downers. They could make an impact or fall apart. I don't expect either of them to make it into the finals, but I also don't expect them to throw away matches even to the likes of Argentina and Brazil. Don't write them off either, this is why I mentioned earlier that the teams ranked all the way down to Bolivia will be difficult to separate! As for the final nation Venezuela, I just can't see them making it through. They haven't made much of a strive for improvement in their football and will likely be at the same position they were in last time out. Predicted qualification outcomes: Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Colombia and Uruguay (over Costa Rica) UEFA Groups Group 1 Albania Denmark Hungary Malta Portugal Sweden Group 2 Greece Israel Latvia Luxembourg Moldova Switzerland Group 3 Czech Republic Northern Ireland Poland San Marino Slovakia Slovenia Group 4 Azerbaijan Finland Germany Liechtenstein Russia Wales Group 5 Armenia Belgium Bosnia and Herzegovina Estonia Spain Turkey Group 6 Andorra Belarus Croatia England Kazakhstan Ukraine Group 7 Austria Faroe Islands France Lithuania Romania Serbia Group 8 Bulgaria Cyprus Georgia Republic of Ireland Italy Montenegro Group 9 Iceland FYR Macedonia Netherlands Norway Scotland Notes: First, let me start by mentioning that Montenegro are ranked that low because they are a new nation placed into the FIFA rankings barrel. Their current place means absolutely nothing as I'd put them somewhere between Slovakia and Slovenia. With that aside, don't expect them to have any possible chance of making it into the World Cup finals unless they are the top ranked team in their pool. That isn't going to happen, ever. You may also be asking, how do UEFA teams qualify for the World Cup this time around? Well, the top team from each group (nine) will automatically qualify for the finals. The highest ranked eight of the nine second-placed teams will contest home and away playoff matches for the remaining four places. With how tough group 2 is based on those teams' talents I believe the second-placed team will cancel themselves out due to a low amount of points when compared to the other eight groups. In the playoff, I see England as the top second placed team and winning over the lowest, Bulgaria. Second highest will likely be Denmark, but I see them falling apart to a still rather new European face, Slovenia. For the other two - I think Belgium will upset Romania since they have such a huge history in the World Cup. Plus their youth talent right now is some of the best in the World today and those youngsters should be ready to take part in qualifiers by the end of this year or 2009. Just in time, really. Finally, Russia over Scotland. The Russians will be the favorites due to their higher second-place seeding, but I think Scotland may be ready to join England in South Africa after barely missing out on the EURO 2008 finals. It all depends on how well they play though because the country has terrible goalkeepers. Terrible goalkeeping is not something you want when facing the Russian national football team. Now on to a general look at the teams - France have a lot to look forward to. With so many of their prestigious 1998 World Cup champion players retired or retiring soon from international duty you would think that their time at the top is just about over with. This isn't true. Many will argue that Messi is going to be the greatest player in the World when he reaches his peak, but I think people are forgetting about Samir Nasri. The Marseille youngster is going to be one of the best if not the best on the biggest stage come 2010. This isn't the second coming of Zizou, this is the sighting of The Great Nasri. This youngster isn't the only one though as France have a great amount of other young talents in the shadows just awaiting their opportunity to showcase their skills. Also by 2010 current great players like Karim Benzema and Franck Ribéry among others will have more leadership qualities and be at their peaks. I expect the French to actually have the best opportunity to win it all. Count on it. England are in a rut at the moment in terms of figuring out their squad and getting their management set straight. They have great young talent in the wings and could make an impact, but it seems more likely that they'll get through and coast their way into the second round. That is of course unless they can settle everybody down, make a lot of changes to the roster and find some chemistry. They have three years, so don't be discouraged. Other big nations will be around too of course, but many of you are already familiar with their young talent and current crop that will all likely be available for selection come 2010. So I'll move on to the possible surprises. Eastern European countries will be looking to find their way into the finals, but the only real competitors in the end are the Czech Republic, Romania, Ukraine, Russia and Bulgaria. Not all of which will make it into the finals of course, but you can probably expect at least one or two of them for certain. You can definitely bet on Russia. Southern countries like Turkey and Greece will have a great opportunity to make their returns to the biggest stage, but they will have to work hard. Croatia are fast becoming a European power that can compete on a national team level with some of the biggest teams, so expect them to get through even if they are grouped with the likes of let's say England and Italy. Scotland are coming back! No really, they've got something great going here. Even if they don't make it into the EURO 2008 tournament there is a bright future to look forward to. Scottish professional football as a whole is on the rise. Their Premier league is gaining more attention from the media each passing season and their clubs are able to sign more prolific players these days. Well, it isn't a surprise seeing that the country is producing many quality young players that are going unnoticed. Many of which are surprisingly not actually playing for Celtic of Rangers, just yet anyway. With Poland's poor performance at the previous World Cup we can expect an entire revamping of their squad come qualification time for the big event. The country's biggest crop of youth comes from their strikers. Poland has produced some of the best strikers in the World, even if some of those individuals aren't even playing for the country. In any case, it is up in the air in terms of how that young crop will perform under pressure come qualification for the finals. I'd like to also ask the question, what the hell happened to Hungary? Get back in the game as you were once one of the greatest footballing powers in the entire World for many decades! Also a note to Belgium, you've been very disappointing for years. Some final notes to remember - Denmark should return to power soon enough. Switzerland may be ranked low, but they're getting better every year at a faster pace then any other nation at the mid-level. Serbia are not as powerful as they once were. Norway are looking strong at their steady regular level of play. Don't expect any nation ranked below Belgium to have any legit possibility of making it into the finals in South Africa. Macedonia may not make it in, but Goran Pandev will shine brightly. Expect one of the big power nations to miss out. Israel will make a very strong run that will likely pay off at the World Cup qualifiers and finally, San Marino is still everyone's b**ch. Predicted qualification outcomes: Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, England, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Russia, Slovenia and Spain The Stadiums Soccer City, Johannesburg (95,000 capacity) artist's conception, currently being upgraded King's Park, Durban (70,000 capacity) artist's conception, currently under construction Green Point Stadium, Cape Town (70,000 capacity) artist's conception, currently under construction Ellis Park, Johannesburg (61,000 capacity) currently being upgraded Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria (50,000 capacity) currently being upgraded Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth (48,000 capacity) artist's conception, currently under construction Vodacom Park, Bloemfontein (48,000 capacity) currently being upgraded Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit (46,000 capacity) artist's conception, currently under construction Peter Mokaba Stadium, Polokwane (45,000 capacity) artist's conception, currently under construction Royal Bafokeng Stadium, Rustenburg (42,000 capacity) currently being upgraded For more stadium information check these two sites below. Stadium Guide World Stadiums
Excellent info on the world cup M21. I'm excited to see how Albania does, it'll probably be the last time that the team has Kosovo players as well, and then once they're accepted by Fifa, things will change a bit. lol
Great information M21 that was intresting, looing forward to englands chances but they ned to click to be the best. I think Cappello might be the one to do it.
I'm sure England will make it through. I don't think they'll be first in their group for qualifying, but definitely and easily take a second spot to make the final 13. That's my opinion anyway.
I think so Barmy, and it may likely end up being a crap-shoot between the Republic of Ireland, Bulgaria and Montenegro during the final weeks. The problem is that whoever finishes second will have to defeat another group's second-placed club. I bet on this group's second-placed team performing poorly compared to second-placed teams in other groups, so they may end up facing England for a finals spot. Ouch. What a confusing way to have teams qualify this time around.
Here cpaw, maybe make a thread in the World cup forum here with the standings once the night is over. Actually we should have a thread for each continent. (they're all in this link) http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/europe/standings/index.html
Slovenia are going to contend for first place in their group, I can feel it. They were impressive against Slovakia.
I really like how Honduras is doing, they let one slip against Mexico but they've been good none the less
Well, it didn't turn out exactly how I thought years ago, but I did pretty well all things considered. Here are my predictions from the round of 16 onwards. Round of 16 France Nigeria Argentina Uruguay England Serbia Germany United States of America Netherlands Slovakia Paraguay Denmark Brazil Chile Spain Portugal Analysis France should have no trouble dumping Nigeria out of the tournament. Argentina and Uruguay will be one to watch. I think that Charrúas should provide an amazing performance, but Argentina's superior players will pull them through. Here is where the dream ends for England. I wrote that I believe Serbia will cause a stir in the tournament and this is it. They will go through in a tight contest that will thrill the neutral and make supporters on both sides a nervous wreck. Germany will find that the United States are no pushovers, but they should be able to go through by two goals at the end of 90 + minutes. The Slovaks' dream run will end here when they come across a dominant Dutch team. The Danes will look to take down Paraguay, but will find them too difficult. This will likely be one of the best matches of the later stages if it takes place. Brazil will put Chile away by at least a two goal margin to give the continent great hope for an African champion. Spain and Portugal will be the match to watch, but Spain are just that much better. Quarter-finals France Serbia Netherlands Brazil Argentina Germany Paraguay Spain Analysis I'd love to see France against England here, but a rematch from Group 7 in UEFA qualification will suffice. France defeated Serbia 2-1 early, but Serbia managed a draw in the return leg. I don't think Serbia will be able to make it any further than the quarter-finals, but they won't allow the French to stroll through. The Dutch will have a bit of difficulty against Brazil. The Brazilians may even go up a goal early, but as the match wears on Holland will show off their world class offense. A rematch from the 2006 FIFA World Cup is in the works. Germany defeated Argentina on penalty kicks last time, but I don't think it will come to that. I don't think Maradona will be able to pull his messy team through this round and Germany will advance. Spain will blank Paraguay and likely win by a two or three goal margin. I like the Paraguayan side, but Spain are just that much better. Semi-finals France Netherlands Germany Spain Analysis Superior Dutch possession will come in handy because the French are very capable of exposing their defensive issues. Les Bleus have come this far, but the Dutch outfit will be brimming with confidence. Germany and Spain will be quite interesting. I think this one will be a stalemate through most of the match before both sides find gaps to score goals. Either that, or there will be goals early on and a stalemate in the second half. This one may be decided on penalties, but I think the Germans will pull off the big upset leaving Spain in tears. Third place France Spain Analysis I'm unsure how either side will play due to their losses in the previous round, but if Spain's superiority is worth anything they will likely be looking to destroy the French side. I'm not going to put it on the table that this one will be a blowout, but it wouldn't surprise me. I suspect that Raymond Domenech and Vicente del Bosque will be out of a job soon enough. Final Netherlands Germany Analysis The Dutch will finally win the World Cup. Despite their flaws I just can't overlook the threat they pose to every team in this tournament. Players like Arjen Robben and Wesley Sneijder are leading their respective teams into the UEFA Champions League final. Robin van Persie will be fit to play. Despite being out for such a long time he still managed to be the best player on the pitch for Arsenal in his return. Really, he was the best player on the pitch from either side for that return match despite only being a late sub. There are so many others that I can continue on about, but you're all familiar anyway. Holland's time has come.
