2026 World Cup Qualifiers

[Fuller Pilch]

NZ playing New Caledonia to qualify

 

[Meridio]

0-0 at halftime and our guys looking frustrated. Has the feel of a game that New Caledonia could easily snatch with a breakaway goal/set piece/sloppy bit of NZ defending, we don't look super confident at the back. Not really creating much either other than set pieces in the last 25 minutes or so.

 

[Fuller Pilch]

0-0 at halftime and our guys looking frustrated. Has the feel of a game that New Caledonia could easily snatch with a breakaway goal/set piece/sloppy bit of NZ defending, we don't look super confident at the back. Not really creating much either other than set pieces in the last 25 minutes or so.

And now Wood is off

 

[Meridio]

That's a bit better. Nice second goal

 

[Magrat Garlick]

does this lead to a play off with the winner of Zealand v Caledonia?

 

[Ali TT]

does this lead to a play off with the winner of Zealand v Caledonia?

Historically that's the North Sea vs Scotland.

England just about ahead v Latvia at the half thanks to an inch perfect free kick from Reece James.

I kinda wish now we have all the technology we could trial some rules to stop teams parking the bus.

 

[Molehill]

Historically that's the North Sea vs Scotland.

England just about ahead v Latvia at the half thanks to an inch perfect free kick from Reece James.

I kinda wish now we have all the technology we could trial some rules to stop teams parking the bus.

Yeah, it's painful. Latvia got out of there thinking 3-0 was a result for them, Albania the same with 2-0 (even though they're better than that really). Given how many teams qualify for the World Cup now, it renders so much of this stuff meaningless. They'd be better off having teams of an equal level playing off for some spots in the Finals rather than wasting time on this rubbish. Turns out the best fixtures over the weekend have been the Nations League, and it wasn't even close.

 

[BoyBrumby]

I kinda have mixed feelings. WC/Euro qualifiers used to be a pretty big deal, in fact some of my fondest England-related footy memories are from qualifiers (0-0 draw with Sweden to make it to Italia 90 with Butcher dripping in blood, 0-0 draw in Rome to make it to France 98 after Italy had beaten us at Wembley thanks to (IIRC) a Zola goal, smashing Jerry 5-1 in Germany, Walcott's hattrick in Zagreb after Bilic had shot his mouth off about Croatia being much better than us) as well as some of the worst (Dutch beating us 2-0 to knock us out of USA 94 before we even got there "Linesman! Linesman", etc; Croatia beating us at home when we only needed a draw and they literally had nothing to play for, having already qualified, wally with the brolly and all that).

Nowadays though they are a little perfunctory. Since 2008 (which my sources tell me in 17 years ago now, FFS) we've never once threatened to miss out.

Combo of us being a bit better and the tournaments expanding to the extent that every semi-competent nation now makes it as a matter of course.

 

[ashley bach]

New Zealand might be the favourites next year. They haven't lost a world cup match since 1984.

 

[andruid]

Damn you Aubameyang!

 

[Uppercut]

I kinda have mixed feelings. WC/Euro qualifiers used to be a pretty big deal, in fact some of my fondest England-related footy memories are from qualifiers (0-0 draw with Sweden to make it to Italia 90 with Butcher dripping in blood, 0-0 draw in Rome to make it to France 98 after Italy had beaten us at Wembley thanks to (IIRC) a Zola goal, smashing Jerry 5-1 in Germany, Walcott's hattrick in Zagreb after Bilic had shot his mouth off about Croatia being much better than us) as well as some of the worst (Dutch beating us 2-0 to knock us out of USA 94 before we even got there "Linesman! Linesman", etc; Croatia beating us at home when we only needed a draw and they literally had nothing to play for, having already qualified, wally with the brolly and all that).

Nowadays though they are a little perfunctory. Since 2008 (which my sources tell me in 17 years ago now, FFS) we've never once threatened to miss out.

Combo of us being a bit better and the tournaments expanding to the extent that every semi-competent nation now makes it as a matter of course.

I generally don't mind the expansion of the World Cup finals tournament. I hate the uneven format more than the dilution of quality, so for me 64 teams is an improvement on 48. As a fan of second and third-tier countries where playing in a World Cup game is a rare and special social event, it's unedifying to see people from major nations moan about the existence of games that nobody is forcing them to watch.

But it does mean that international breaks are never anything other than a chore now. I remember when England drew Scotland in the Euro 2000 playoffs and people were looking forward to it for months, it was all the commentators on Premier League games could talk about. Completely inconceivable that anyone would ever feel that way about an international break now.

 

[sledger]

I think the mid 2000s were the last days I really cared/paid attention to qualifiers for major international tournaments, from what I remember.

The games where England played Turkey in 2003 were super intense and full of anger. I can recall being on the edge of my seat for those ones.

The qualifiers for Euro 2008 were also great, but that was because the defeat to Croatia at home, leading to failure to qualify, was hilariously bad.

Between then and 2018 England were just absolutely horrid/turgid to watch, so I just lost interest, and then by the time they were actually appealing to watch again qualifiers were basically just shoo in exhibition games.

 

[Molehill]

I generally don't mind the expansion of the World Cup finals tournament. I hate the uneven format more than the dilution of quality, so for me 64 teams is an improvement on 48. As a fan of second and third-tier countries where playing in a World Cup game is a rare and special social event, it's unedifying to see people from major nations moan about the existence of games that nobody is forcing them to watch.

But what is the point of such games when weaker teams are just turning up to try and avoid getting beaten by too many? Maybe we take it for granted now that England have turned qualification into formality (I'm plenty old enough to remember occasions when it most definitely wasn't). The Nations League has actually been a huge improvement on International Breaks where teams now face opposition of a similar standard.

 

[Uppercut]

But what is the point of such games when weaker teams are just turning up to try and avoid getting beaten by too many?

I kind of wish this was a problem, because it would require the top international teams actually being any good. The European counties in the 33-48 range is countries like Slovenia, Slovakia, Serbia, and Denmark i.e. the countries that went toe-to-toe with Euro finalists England. From South America we're talking Paraguay, Chile, Colombia - countries that sometimes qualify, but will be included more regularly, and routinely upset Brazil and Argentina in qualifying. The additional African and Asian countries are unlikely to be much worse than the current qualifiers, none of whom can be taken for granted (Saudi Arabia beat Argentina last time out).

If we see more of the big names getting close to Spain's level then yeah, maybe there'll be too many uncompetitive games. But as it stands it's just not a problem in the international game.

 

[Molehill]

I kind of wish this was a problem, because it would require the top international teams actually being any good. The European counties in the 33-48 range is countries like Slovenia, Slovakia, Serbia, and Denmark i.e. the countries that went toe-to-toe with Euro finalists England. From South America we're talking Paraguay, Chile, Colombia - countries that sometimes qualify, but will be included more regularly, and routinely upset Brazil and Argentina in qualifying. The additional African and Asian countries are unlikely to be much worse than the current qualifiers, none of whom can be taken for granted (Saudi Arabia beat Argentina last time out).

If we see more of the big names getting close to Spain's level then yeah, maybe there'll be too many uncompetitive games. But as it stands it's just not a problem in the international game.

I was referring to the qualification games (ie Latvia and Albania's recent bus parking strategies at Wembley).

Re the 33-48, it's not that those teams aren't competitive, it's more that it just turns the competition into a lopsided mess. But I guess it will mean more knockout games which is a good thing I suppose.

 

[Smudge]

New Zealand might be the favourites next year. They haven't lost a world cup match since 1984.

There was a rogue World Cup two years after Spain '82?

 

[ashley bach]

There was a rogue World Cup two years after Spain '82?

lol no I just ****ed up. Even better though it'll be 44 years since we lost a match.

 

[speirz]

I was referring to the qualification games (ie Latvia and Albania's recent bus parking strategies at Wembley).

Re the 33-48, it's not that those teams aren't competitive, it's more that it just turns the competition into a lopsided mess. But I guess it will mean more knockout games which is a good thing I suppose.

Europe just needs to restructure their qualifiers IMO. If sides like San Marino, Lichtenstein etc. from Europe were in qualifying anywhere else but South America they'd be knocking each other out first rather than heading straight into groups with qualifying spots on offer.

Something I've just noticed though which does annoy me is that the final play-offs for the tournament won't be until this time next year, which is awfully close to the cup itself for the fans of whoever qualifies that way to be organising travelling to support their team.

 

[Pothas]

I generally don't mind the expansion of the World Cup finals tournament. I hate the uneven format more than the dilution of quality, so for me 64 teams is an improvement on 48. As a fan of second and third-tier countries where playing in a World Cup game is a rare and special social event, it's unedifying to see people from major nations moan about the existence of games that nobody is forcing them to watch.

But it does mean that international breaks are never anything other than a chore now. I remember when England drew Scotland in the Euro 2000 playoffs and people were looking forward to it for months, it was all the commentators on Premier League games could talk about. Completely inconceivable that anyone would ever feel that way about an international break now.

I have said this plenty of times but international football tournaments are my favourite thing in sport by a huge margin and I don't really care about the process to get there.

I actually can't remember the last time I watched an England qualifier, I just see it as a week off watching any football which is really no bad thing. Sure the one right at the start of the season is slightly annoying but I actually like the one this time of year. Having an FA cup round at the end of it is a bit much though.

Totally agree about uneven format thing, Euros would be so much better if it was 32.