oceania to get full spot?

oceania to get full spot?

http://www.3news.co.nz/All-Whites-may-get-easier-road-to-World-Cup/tabid/415/articleID/170230/Default.aspx

dont know if anyone has seen this, but apparently Oceania is going to ask for a full spot at next Fifa meeting, and the Japanese fa is quoted as saying that they are worried?

interesting..

Won't happen.

dreams are free....
when i seen headline i was thinking same thing...
still am
just surprised japan would be worried about it

Yeah, can't see it.

That is crazy. Dreams are free though.

very very very unlikely. the last time I checked there were plans to scrap Oceania altogether.
I wonder what goes on inside these people's minds.

Not. A. Chance.

if this did happen
im curious to knw if people would still want to go to Asia
for the competitive games.

in saying that we have got Hondorus and Paraguay coming here

Cool. I've said before that this is what Oceania should be pushing for. Unlikely right now maybe, but not impossible at all. The negativity around this is disappointing. Oceania were nearly granted automatic entry a decade ago when Aussie was around. FIFA is keen to have representatives at the World Cup from all corners of the globe. I know the negatives and that it's unlikely, but it should be a goal if we do actually rate ourselves.

It wont happen.

Won't happen, shouldn't happen.

Oceania should get a spot in the 3rd round of Asian qualifying. Perhaps oceania runner-up to go into 2nd round of asia. Just a thought, but it'd certainly produce a more comprehensive route of qualification than a 2-legged playoff.

Nah id rather see it stay as it is playing the 5th placed Asian nations. Why make it harder to qualify? Surely we shouldnt be needing to join Asia to get regular games now.

yes we do. We may be getting a couple of friendlies here and there, but when it comes to the important games, the actual qualifying, we're going to have f**k all in the way of decent opposition. We need to be playing competitive games consistently throughout the qualification process. It should be about improving the quality of our football, not just having our best shot at qualifying for the next world cup.

+1

Do we really want to see it coming down to 2 games again in 4 years time? What if we don't get lucky or don't get the rub of the green next time round? We have to wait another 4 years for crack at it again. Nah sod that, i'd rather have a decent qualifying process with good competitive matches along the way, and several chances if we lose one or two throughout the qualifying.

Yeah i suppose thats a good point. Oceania really should just become a part of Asia, or a sub confed. Winners of Oceania cup could also play for Asian cup? That would make for extra games yet again. Who knows... my head hurts 

There is one major problem with NZ becoming part of Asia at this point and its to do with development of our players. Currently we essentially get a very easy ride to FIFA age group world cups on both the mens and womens side of the game. On top of it being an easy ride its also financially doable.
Since the Australians have moved to Asia they have come across funding issues with the massive increase in costs associated with getting their age group sides to FIFA tournaments.
I would like to see our senior side get more meaningful games in qualification but the current setup means our age group players are getting very valuable experience at age group world cups.

No one said anything about joining Asia.

read aj13's comment you pedantic twat

Ease up mate.

I didnt mean we should out right join asia, as mentioned it would put a strain on our youth and womens teams getting through to their respective world cups, and also end our chances of making the confeds.

Actually the more i think abouut it Im not sure if taking part in the final Asian qualifying groups is going to be a good thing though. I dont see the point in making WC qualifying harder for the sake of only a hand ful more games. You would want to join outright so you can get all the games in (+ asian cup), otherwise you may as well just pick up the friendlys at each window while staying in Oceania. And seeing as NZF are planning to play at every window with a full strength side, i think at this stage its good progress.
AJ132010-08-16 11:23:58

Current games after OFC winner determined - 2 (the 2 legged playoff)
Games if Oceania winner joins Asian 3rd round - 6 (possibly 8 if we get 3rd in the group)

I'd much rather have a situation where we play at least 6 games. Gives NZF the opportunity to make money through ticket sales with 2 more home games, and we get 4 more competitive games to better prepare us for a world cup. I can see Asia warming to the idea as well, because they'll feel it gives their nations a better shot at qualification.

We still remain in the Oceania confederation, but get some of the benefits of being in the asian confed.
conorphelan2010-08-16 15:28:47

The last round of qualifying in Asia has two groups of 5 teams, if we were to koin at this stage we would be guaranteed 8 games, plus 2 more if we finished third.

Probably more, and no one is going to give up a spot for us so you have to think they would go to two groups of six. Hard News2010-08-16 15:50:23

My mistake. But serves to prove my point further. It's in NZF's and AFC's best interests imo.

Disagree, we did ok at the last WC under the current system. If you want harder games, do what we are doing now [Paraguay and Honduras]. We have Confed Cup too. Can't understand all this bullsh*t about making it harder to qualify.

If we qualify for the World Cup every four years, which is not unrealistic should the system remain as it is and is almost certain should Oceania get a full spot, there would be a sh*t-storm from other countries and it would not be long before we have to jump through hoops again like '82. I don't see the status quo remaining for long, to be honest.

Sorry Footpaul, I can't see your logic. What do you base that view on?

The criticism we got abroad from people after we qualified. Without a doubt we had the world's easiest qualification route and will once again for 2014. Even the host has a harder process to go through! That's not to take anything away from our qualification and subsequent World Cup, but consider the far superior teams that didn't play at the cup who had far harder qualification routes. If the status quo remains, or Oceania gets a full spot, New Zealand are just about given a spot at each cup. I don't see why other countries would be happy about that.

So a full spot is not going to happen, and the status quo won't remain much longer either.

the only way oceania would get a full spot is if australia moved back into the confederation, which they won't, because they get far more competitive games in AFC.

Paraguay and Honduras a friendlies. They are not hard games.

Confed Cup is a joke tournament too.

When we start actually winning said friendlies 4-0 you can say that. Until then theyre as good as anything we would get in Asia.

That's not the thrust of the argument though - the whole point (mostly brought up by UEFA members) is that Oceania's (and especially NZ's) path to the World Cup is too easy: playing against the island nations, then playing off against the 5th placed Asian team. This means that the road to the World Cup most likely does not include a single top 50 nation, and quite likely only one top 100 nation, which obviously grinds the gears of UEFA, which has a much more competetive qualifying process, and which has been losing spots to other confederations. This thinking is precisely why FIFA was forced in a backdown over the automatic spot they had promised for Oceania a few years back - UEFA cried to high heavens that this was giving the top Oceania team a free ride to the World Cup and used its influence to prevent that from happening.

It should also be pointed out that Oceania is not the only target - there's some disquiet over CONCACAF's 3.5 places (with many around Europe thinking this should be 2.5 or 3 at most), and even murmurings over CAF having 5 spots, especially after relatively poor showing in South Africa (barring Ghana). Now, lot of this may be political, but it is certainy something that is current and probably won't be going away any time soon.el grapadura2010-08-17 16:41:42

That's exactly the counterpoint that FIFA uses - the World Cup isn't a better competition if you have a Poland or Ukraine (for example) playing instead of New Zealand or Honduras.

But UEFA will keep fighting this fight, and keeping Oceania to 0.5 of a spot is a situation that FIFA and UEFA have settled on for now and a direct spot for Oceania won't be forthcoming as long as the confederational set-up is the way it is at the moment.

A swallow doesn't make it a summer! Wishful thinking for OFC to have a full spot. Oinker can fly! Pipe dream.

EG makes very valid points. Oceanica will most likely never get an automatic spot. I think that is fair at this time.