World Cup qualification : Africa

[N est à?]

A few first leg results already from the preliminary round, with more to come tomorrow and saturday. The pick so far would be São Tomé and Príncipe beating Ethiopia 1-0, a fantastic result for the lowly ranked, er, Falcons and True Parrots Team.

http://africanfootball.com/news/574602/So-Tom-stun-Ethiopia

[N est à?]

World Cup qualification : Africa

What am I, chopped liver?

[N est à?]

World Cup qualification : Africa

A stuttering start for two West African powerhouses, as Nigeria draw 0-0 in Swaziland and Ghana, even more surprisingly, do the same in Comoros.

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

World Cup qualification : Africa

Does any other confederation throw all its teams into the potential lottery of a single home-and-away playoff round, before the groups even kick in?

I know many would like UEFA to do precisely this, but I think a few England fans would shift nervously in their seats if we HAD to beat Macedonia over two legs in the very first round of qualifying.

Having said that, Ghana beating the Comoros at home in the second leg should be a banker on anyone's coupon tomorrow night.

[dalliance]

World Cup qualification : Africa

Nesta Arantes do Nascimento wrote: What am I, chopped liver?

I like that line but it is funnier when delivered by Kim in Kath and Kim.

[Satchmo Distel]

World Cup qualification : Africa

I'm slightly surprised that there isn't a top tier of sides who get byes straight into the groups. I assume that would be the case if UEFA introduced such a stage (to protect the countries with big TV markets).

OTOH it shows Africa to be meritocratic in a way that UEFA is not.

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

World Cup qualification : Africa

Last time (and before) they did precisely that (the top 20 or so sides went straight into the groups to be joined by 12 qualifiers). Don't know what's prompted the apparent egalitarianism this time round.

[matt j]

World Cup qualification : Africa

Scoreboard watches will have noticed that Ghana has taken a 1-0 lead at home.

Nigeria and Swaziland still at 0-0 into the 2nd half.

Ethiopia has evened the aggregate with Congo at 4 a piece, so second half could be interesting there too.

[matt j]

World Cup qualification : Africa

and of course, Nigeria has just scored... through the excellently named "Moses Daddy Simon".

[evilC]

World Cup qualification : Africa

matt j wrote:
Ethiopia has evened the aggregate with Congo at 4 a piece, so second half could be interesting there too.

Right! That's it! Sopcast/Acestream here I come!

[evilC]

World Cup qualification : Africa

Gah! Can't find a stream! Where are you lot getting these live updates?

[matt j]

World Cup qualification : Africa

just watches scores and stats at espn.

Congo scored twice in the second half to kill that tie now.

Nigeria and Ghana both 'clinging' to 1-0 aggregate leads at home.

Egypt v Chad kicking off.

[evilC]

World Cup qualification : Africa

(The BBC seems in total denial that these games even exist!)

[evilC]

World Cup qualification : Africa

matt j wrote: just watches scores and stats at espn.

Cool. Might try that. Currently staring at http://www.flashscore.com/soccer/world/world-cup/ thought there seems a bit of a delay on that.

[matt j]

World Cup qualification : Africa

In theory, I could be streaming through BeIN sports connect, but work computer doesn't like that.

[matt j]

World Cup qualification : Africa

Egypt already 2-0 to overcome the first leg disadvantage.

[evilC]

World Cup qualification : Africa

Now 3-0

(Looks like that link I posted above is actually ahead of ESPN, then?)

[evilC]

World Cup qualification : Africa

The Algeria - Tanzania game is going to be the fascinating one.

[Wouter D]

World Cup qualification : Africa

evilC wrote: The Algeria - Tanzania game is going to be the fascinating one.

Ends 7-0 after a Tanzanian is sent off in the first half with the score already 2-0.

[Satchmo Distel]

World Cup qualification : Africa

I wonder if in future World Cups, now Blatter's gone, one African team might be obliged to go into a play-off. Africa hasn't really justified that 5th automatic spot this century.

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

World Cup qualification : Africa

They didn't put up too bad a showing last time. Two of their teams made the last 16, which would have been three if Greece hadn't scored in the last minute against the Ivory Coast, and Ghana were hardly disgraced in the "group of death" with Germany, Portugal and the USA. It was only Cameroon, really, who disappointed, and if memory serves they tore themselves apart arguing about appearance money.

[N est à?]

World Cup qualification : Africa

Granted that (and that Cameroon seem permanently trapped in the role of as the clown car of international football, so its somewhat unfair to tar other African teams with their dysfunctionality), but it still seems odd that Africa has more slots than South America.

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

World Cup qualification : Africa

CONMEBOL could comfortably send 7 or even 8 teams to the finals who would justify their place ahead of the final African, Asian or even European qualifiers. Trouble is, you'd have a qualification process there that involved finding 7 out of 10. I suppose you could make it at least on merit by making say 3 of the intercontinental playoffs "CONMEBOL v ..." but I guess the other federations would never vote for it.

[Southport Zeb]

World Cup qualification : Africa

Nesta Arantes do Nascimento wrote: Granted that (and that Cameroon seem permanently trapped in the role of as the clown car of international football, so its somewhat unfair to tar other African teams with their dysfunctionality), but it still seems odd that Africa has more slots than South America.

I suspect it's partly to do with South America having 10 nations and Africa having 54.

[Kevin S]

World Cup qualification : Africa

I'd merge CONMEBOL and CONCACAF and give it a shedload of places. Call it CONSCACAF, perhaps?