If Brazil and England only get to Russia via playoffs, how will the seedings be fiddled?
Announcement
Collapse
No announcement yet.
2018 WC finals draw seedings prospects
Collapse
X
-
2018 WC finals draw seedings prospects
FIFA will always find some method of seeding to suit; in 1982, for example, they somewhat arbitrarily decided to place the other 5 qualifiers who'd won a World Cup before (Italy, West Germany, Brazil, England and Argentina) into different groups to hosts Spain, even though England had only just qualified for the first time in twelve years by finishing second to Hungary. In 1986, they seeded the four semi-finalists from 1982 (who'd all qualified again) and also Brazil, on the basis that they were Brazil. For 1990, they again seeded the (three qualified) semi-finalists from 1986, then found a way to decide Brazil and England (and not Spain) would be seeded out of the 1986 quarter-finalists, primarily to ensure England could be put in a group on Sicily.
But for the last couple of World Cups, they have gone according to the top of their rankings. So, at the moment, the 7 teams seeded alongside Russia would be
Argentina
Belgium
Colombia
Germany
Chile
Portugal
France
with Spain, Brazil, Italy, Wales and Uruguay currently making up the top 12.
If Brazil or Uruguay win a couple of qualifiers against Chile and Colombia, they could replace them in the top 7, but those are going to be the only matches between now and 2018 that will tip the balance if, as one would expect, all the European sides on that list qualify. There is the Confederations Cup next summer but I think only Chile, Portugal and Germany will be going to that, so their "bonus" points in that will only serve to keep them up there.
If 2 CONMEBOL sides qualify but are unseeded, and 9 UEFA sides qualify but are unseeded, FIFA's going to have a devil of a job slotting them into a draw along with 5 CAF teams, 4 AFC and 4 CONCACAF. It'll probably be that fudge where they do a pre-draw to pick one European side out to sit in a pot with the CONMEBOL and CAF ones, and the whole thing will take about three hours.
Comment
-
2018 WC finals draw seedings prospects
The 1958 seedings had the right idea, four pots of four teams.
Eastern European: USSR, Hungary, Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia.
Western Europe: Sweden, West Germany, Austria, France.
Americas: Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay
"British nations": England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland
Comment
-
2018 WC finals draw seedings prospects
Wales qualified for the 1958 World Cup in place of the Asian/African side who would have gone, after everyone else in the world but them refused to play Israel. Belgium were offered the opportunity first but said no.
Comment
-
2018 WC finals draw seedings prospects
Wales ascent up the FIFA rankings means they're currently in line to be in the "Premier League" of the UEFA Nations Cup that starts in 2018.
Though there's plenty of time for the criteria for qualification of the tournament to be fiddled with.
Comment
-
- Jan 2015
- 9700
- Wrexham... ish
- R. + R. McReynold's Travelling Circus, The Jurgen Klopp Farewell Tour XI, Page's Boys
- Ginger Nut
2018 WC finals draw seedings prospects
Well, that and they're actually based on the UEFA rankings which we're still a fair bit lower down on than our lofty position on FIFA's list.
Comment
Comment