OFC will not play in next World Cup AFC qualifiers

OFC will not play in next World Cup AFC qualifiers

Look a bit conflicted...

The present qualification includes OFC winners to play the fifth place AFC, they just fall short of saying that. Everything else is the same.

It does means that the OFC winners does not play in the AFC groups like it is at the moment. The top 4 goes straight to Brazil, but does not mention the 5th placer does. And so their 5th placer should still has a playoff. It does not mention that they will be in a play-off or are who they play against. That is FIFA decision.AllWhitebelievr2009-07-20 14:18:23

No change as far as All Whites are concerned. Fifth place AFC team still to play top OFC qualifier

crap.

The article doesn't say that - it says just that the 5th Asian team will be found after a two-tiered play-off (i.e. one within the confederation, one against a team from different confederation).

I suspect FIFA may play around with the allocations for the 2014 World Cup, so they'll decide cross-continental playoffs at a later date.

I wonder if FIFA will purposely move the playoff opponents around. So there is a good chance we may play the CONCACAF play off winners and that the AFC 5th may play the CONMEBOL next time. If you think about it, AFC may then consider allowing the OFC into the final group stage in AFC because they get to avoid playing the South Americans.

Its no secret Reynald Temarii & Jack Warner are in bed together, So a OFC playoff with CONCACAF is possible.
Africa want another spot from 2014 onwards, If its not to come from UEFA, then CONCACAF would surely lose its .5 place. But then you have stuff like voting for the World Cup such as England 2018 and Africa wanting a half place playoff for a vote.

It's gonna be interesting to see what FIFA do - they've rotated the last two times, so if they keep doing that, we'd get CONCACAF for 2014. But it's hard to know, since like I said FIFA will probably play around with allocations after the next World Cup, depending on performance from nations from different confederations.

Don't think we'll know what's happening with OFC until 2011.