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FIFA World Cup 2022


Lineker

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1 hour ago, Krabby said:

Realistically, what are the US looking at with our draw?

I think you've got a good chance of escaping the group depending on who is the team that comes out of the playoffs. Iran by all accounts aren't great - they've beaten all the teams that are about at their level in qualifying - Iraq, UAE, etc - but a draw and a loss against the best team in their group in South Korea doesn't scream "this will be the surprise team". 

If Ukraine or Wales go through it becomes much harder - Ukraine have N A R R A T I V E and that's a powerful thing (see Denmark at the Euros) and Wales are in their best run in their history. Scotland has a perfect record at World Cups - 8 entries, 8 group stage exits. I don't see them doing much differently if they're the third team.

46 minutes ago, Szumi - A Polack said:

I'm still going to be optimistic though. We're going to be the youngest team at the World Cup and wouldn't be surprised if we field the youngest ever XI during a match this November. But if we're able to actually have our main players there healthy, there's a lot of young talents who are hungry and will do a job. In our 14 matches of WCQ, we never had Dest, Adams, McKennie, Reyna, and Pulisic on the field together because of injuries. 

USA will be very scary in 2026 - most of that core of players will be coming into their prime and I fancy them to go very far on home soil.

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1 hour ago, Colly said:

This but non sarcastically.

Least with it round Christmas time, people can be snorting coke and drinking Bailey's instead of Strongbow Dark Fruits. 

And the red flares up the arse will be more festive 

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3 hours ago, damhausen said:

It's pretty favorable for a young Canada team with Belgium and Croatia both in the thick of club seasons (and relatively old). Morocco are tricky. It always seems like one of the teams that finished in the top 4 at the last World Cup absolutely sucks in the next one and safe money is on that team being Croatia or Belgium.

Also nice thing is I believe England-US occurs on Black Friday here in the States. Glad that's the match I don't need to play work calendar blocking shenanigans with.

I absolutely think Phonzie and David amongst others can run at those aging Belgian and Croatia defenders and cause some damage. Canada’s weakness lies in defence so it could go either way but the group could have been a lot worse. The team needs to play against some decent non CONCACAF sides though and I’m glad Herdman said there’d be some friendlies against that type of opposition before the World Cup. 

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I'm backing UEFA Qualifier, no matter which team eventually qualifies. And New Zealand if they somehow get past Costa Rica.

Please be Scotland, please be Scotland, please be Scotland, please be Scotland, please be Scotland, please be Scotland...

The idea of Scotland getting past Ukraine, then Wales and likely going to a deciding final game against England is too good a story not to happen.

15 hours ago, Lineker said:

The opening game of the tournament will be hosts Qatar versus Ecuador.

Um, apparently it will actually be Netherlands vs Senegal at 1300 opening the World Cup. Weird.

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It is weird but for a change it's actually for the benefit of the fans, they're putting games on at times to suit the teams playing. Had they started with Ecuador it would have been daft o clock in the morning Ecuador time.

I've only just discovered it's 4 group games a day though, presumably tk squeeze it all into a shorter period. :(

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2 hours ago, Colly said:

It is weird but for a change it's actually for the benefit of the fans, they're putting games on at times to suit the teams playing. Had they started with Ecuador it would have been daft o clock in the morning Ecuador time.

I've only just discovered it's 4 group games a day though, presumably tk squeeze it all into a shorter period. :(

This is accurate. Everyone will be playing 3 matches in an 8 day span.

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You can bring this up when it happens, but I think any talk of Canada getting something in a game against Belgium is laughable...unless they play an already qualified Belgium. Even then, a second string Belgium has a lot of talent in it so...

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10 minutes ago, Liam said:

You can bring this up when it happens, but I think any talk of Canada getting something in a game against Belgium is laughable...unless they play an already qualified Belgium. Even then, a second string Belgium has a lot of talent in it so...

I think the more realistic result is against Croatia. Benefit of the Belgium match is, as you said, may happen against the Belgian reserves.

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Canada's strength is that their primary tactic is defend deep and counter. They are already a very well drilled side for matches like they'll anticipate at the World Cup, and their attackers can definitely torch Belgium's ancient backline in transition.

Not saying they'll beat them, but I'm saying it's wholly possible.

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5 minutes ago, Szumi - A Polack said:

Canada's strength is that their primary tactic is defend deep and counter. They are already a very well drilled side for matches like they'll anticipate at the World Cup, and their attackers can definitely torch Belgium's ancient backline in transition.

Not saying they'll beat them, but I'm saying it's wholly possible.

Is it so old though? The full backs are young and although the CBs aren't, I doubt they'll be using Vertonghen and Alderweireld simultaneously. There will be at most one player over 31 in their defense at all times.

I really think Belgium is one of the strongest squads in the world at the moment. Of course sometimes World champions France lose to Senegal but that's not so common, or a predictable outcome.

I wouldn't be surprised if what you say happened vs Croatia since they'll probably be fielding 6 or 7 30+ year olds including 3/4 in the back 4, but I just don't see it happening to Belgium.

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It is rather interesting that only one defending champion has got past the group stage this century. France meeting the same fate would make things interesting.

It would be good to see a new winner this year. Belgium and Portugal would probably be the most likely first-time winners, but it would be amazing if a team outside Europe or South America did it. I'd rather it wasn't the USA, though, because they win enough sports competitions as it is.

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Thus far only one North American team and one Asian team have finished in the top 4 of the World Cup. And I believe under the "modern" format that it's just that South Korean run in 2002.

Ghana for all intents and purposes should've made the semifinals in 2010, but alas.

So it'll be really interesting to see which confederation outside of UEFA and CONMEBOL finally gets over that hump and has a nation reach the finals. You'd think based on historic performance it's most likely a CONCACAF side as they generally have someone in the quarterfinals. But it's a thin pool of basically the US and Mexico. Costa Rica are occasionally tough and Canada just got good, so who knows if that endures. Asia feels relatively similar with the traditional powers being Japan and South Korea. Africa is the "deepest" with multiple nations who've produced and continue to produce world class players. So from a numbers standpoint they'll be the most likely.

That said I don't think the expanded World Cup format does much to help any of these confederations despite more places in the World Cup being awarded to them. If anything it makes it even less likely someone will wind up with a favorable path in the knockouts that avoids the major powers. 

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Cameroon were awfully close in 1990 too. Must be tough to lose a 2-1 lead after two pens, one n extra time.

As for the format, I dislike it just like I disliked the 24 team format even though it was the only one I'd seen. There were too many controversial games in the last round. 32 was perfect, and of course, changed.

I'll still be entertained by a wider variety of NTs if I'm honest, but it will mean nothing when they're all out after the group stages (maybe second round for whoever the surprise underdog is that year).

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I strongly dislike the 48-team format, but it's a bit less confusing than the 24-team format that the World Cup used to have and the Euros have now. The top two teams from each group qualify, with the group winners playing the runner-up of the corresponding group, and vice-versa. Just like the 24-team competitions, two thirds of the teams get out of the groups, which is a lot, but at least you don't need a supercomputer to work out all the permutations in the final group matches.

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Yeah the 48 team format is probably not going to have a million different tiebreakers. Each match will matter in the groups, and arguably matter more than in the current format. There's the odd scenario where Team A beats Team B by 2-1, Team B beats Team C 2-1, and Team C beats Team A 2-1 but that is highly unlikely. 

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