Our FIFA Future

I reckon a 36 or 40 team WC with direct OFC entry is more likely than the confederation system breaking up or NZ joining AFC

Edit: or any other confederation giving up a half spot...

Here is a good write up of how leaving the OFC and Joining the AFC and it regional confederation has help a small island nation.

http://www.playthegame.org/news/news-articles/2009/north-mariana-exit-weakens-oceania-football-confederation/

If that was the case the OFC should have 1.5 spots.

Based on what? Maybe in a 40 team comp but in a 36 team one 1.5 spots seems too generous

1 spot seems generous to me. How would a 36/40 team World Cup even work? 32 really is the perfect number.

40 teams is easy. 8 groups of 5 teams, there just an extra round of games in the group stage (every team plays 4 instead of 3), and then the rest of the tournament structure stays the same.

Not that i care for Oceania, However with 1.5 places it would give incentives to grow the game further with in the island nations and something to play for. I think the 8-1 score lines would be reduced. Yet we cant even beat a Thailand B national team.

Except having byes in the final round of matches makes it too easy for teams to deliberately play out draws if they know they will both go through - and in groups of 5 that's inevitable. That's why all final group games are played simultaneously these days.

A 36 team comp could have 9 groups, winners and 7 best 2nd placed sides go through. Would only add 6 games to the tournament too

Yeah fair enough about the first bit, although I wouldn't read that much into friendly results like the Thailand one. USA just beat Holland and Germany in freindlies, doesn't mean they are a better side than hose two

I'm sure the AFC would allow us to join I cant see a reason why they wouldn't as we are a no better national side then the rest of ASEAN. I think its Oceania that wont let us leave. Mr Chung enjoys the handouts and power trips.

I remember reading that amusing news about NZ potentailly joining CONMEBOL. In terms of distance it wouldn't be worse than going to some Asian countries like Lebanon. 

Travel was a major factor in this, the Northern Mariana's are very close to Guam (50 min flight) and the Philippines (6.5 hour flight) while Auckland is a 21 hour flight. The Oceania Confederation actually encouraged Northern Marianas to join Asia because it wasn't in a position to help them

[/quote] Not that i care for Oceania, However with 1.5 places it would give incentives to grow the game further with in the island nations and something to play for. I think the 8-1 score lines would be reduced. Yet we cant even beat a Thailand B national team.

[/quote]

In 2002 Saudi Arabia lost 8-0 to Germany, yet no one seems to question Asia's ability at the world cup

That's because Sth Korea's success in 2002 over shadowed it, In fact it provided the (so called) justice to AFC having 4.5 WC spots.

Watching the NZ Portugal U20 game the English/FIFA(?) commentators said that Oceania was a waste of time and the quicker its amalgamated with Asia all the better for all Oceania nations as they will ALL get more games to play then the current status quo.

while clearly helping NZ it would also benefit Fiji, New Caledonia, Tahiti and the Solomon Islands.

Maybe. The OFC Nations may just be relegated to playing each other if we join Asia. Asia seems to have preliminary qualification rounds which get rid of the really shark teams early.

True but I have a feeling that the better Oceania teams are a step above a large number of Asian teams.