World Cup 2014 Qualification

greendom

Charisteas wrote: »

Yes that's the best way to do it by far.

Like I said a few posts back when people were speculating that France would be put in the CAF and CONMEBOL pot, having them guaranteed to avoid Spain and Germany (number 1 and 2 in the rankings) would have given them an unfair advantage. It was as if they were being rewarded for being the lowest ranking European country, it seemed backwards.

At least this way, it's fair game.

Plenty will say that Platini has been convincing Blatter that it was unfair to put France into an inferior pot to the European one.

Benimar

The 'floating' European team could lead to a real group of death. It's very possible to have a group with Brazil or Argentina as top seeds with 2 of Holland, Italy, England, France and Portugal in there as well.

Obviously the floater could get Uruguay (off the boil) and Greece to remove all the 'fun'!

citytillidie

http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/25153780

It had been widely reported that there would be eight teams in Pot 4 - with France moved into another pot as the lowest-ranked European team at the cut-off point in October. However, Fifa announced on Tuesday that a pre-draw will take place before the main draw on Friday and will see one moved into Pot 2

Pot 1 (top eight seeds): Brazil, Spain, Argentina, Belgium, Colombia, Germany, Switzerland, Uruguay.

Pot 2: Ivory Coast, Ghana, Algeria, Nigeria, Cameroon, Chile, Ecuador.

Pot 3: Japan, Iran, South Korea, Australia, United States, Mexico, Costa Rica, Honduras.

Pot 4: Bosnia-Hercegovina, Croatia, England, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Russia, France.


Full draw details here

http://www.fifa.com/mm/document/tournament/finaldraw/02/23/84/73/131203_finaldrawprocedures_neutral.pdf

citytillidie

Offical match ball for the World cup

Brussels Sprout

citytillidie wrote: »

Offical match ball for the World cup

I look forward to the many stories about how this ball flies differently in the air to all other balls before it.

Charisteas

Benimar wrote: »

Obviously the floater could get Uruguay (off the boil) and Greece to remove all the 'fun'!

There's a few teams weaker than Greece in the Euro group!

DubDani

These were the results of the Test Draw. I love the Brazilian and English groups.

A: Brazil, France, Australia, Italy
B: Uruguay, Nigeria, USA, Croatia
C: Argentina, Ghana, Costa Rica, Russia
Switzerland, Chile, Japan, Greece
E: Spain, Ivory Coast, South Korea, England
F: Columbia, Cameroon, Honduras, Netherlands
G: Germany, Ecuador, Iran, Portugal
H: Belgium, Algeria, Mexico, Bosnia

Charisteas

Who were the floater in the test draw?

DubDani

Charisteas wrote: »

Who were the floater in the test draw?

Must have been France or Italy, going by the above Format I would say it was France.

inforfun

You can be sure Brazil will not end up in a group like that after the "real" draw.

FIFA already ****ing about with the "floater" which should be France.

DubDani

I still think they should stick all 32 teams into one pot and just draw the groups without any seeding etc.

If out comes a group of Brazil, Argentina, Spain & Germany it will be tough luck, but great to watch. Those teams should be even more motivated then as progressing means to have kicked out 2 major contenders, and make for great entertainment.

smackbunnybaby

Heated balls ftw!

Is this on TV? What time 4.30?

DubDani

I believe coverage starts at 4pm. Draw starts at 4.45pm, and expected to take around 35 minutes.

ArmaniJeanss

inforfun wrote: »

You can be sure Brazil will not end up in a group like that after the "real" draw.

FIFA already ****ing about with the "floater" which should be France.

At least if you get to be the floater, and end up with Brazil, Holland, Mexico and Italy, you'll at least have the consolation of knowing it wasn't corrupt.

inforfun

ArmaniJeanss wrote: »

At least if you get to be the floater, and end up with Brazil, Holland, Mexico and Italy, you'll at least have the consolation of knowing it wasn't corrupt.

Funny enough, that group wouldnt worry me too much.
Holland has good enough records against all 3 of them in order to leave at lest 2 behind them.

Of course i prefer something easier.

citytillidie

DubDani wrote: »

I believe coverage starts at 4pm. Draw starts at 4.45pm, and expected to take around 35 minutes.

Starts on bbc 2 at 4:30 don't think sky can show it

Dempsey

This is the Brazilian equivalent of paddywhackery

Beefy78

citytillidie wrote: »

Starts on bbc 2 at 4:30 don't think sky can show it

It's on SSN now.

As an Englishman I want a strong but possible group. Something like the one we got in 2002. I'd love to play Brazil in the first game.

No point going to this trying to avoid everyone.

patmac

From off the Ball, the whole thing could be a disaster:
South American football expert Tim Vickery.

"The locations and the kick off times is at least as important as who you're playing. This was always going to be a World Cup held in a country the size of a continent during winter. You're talking about major differences in temperature between the host cities. But then in comes the icy hand of domestic and international politics.

"The original idea of going back to the old system of teams divided into four groups and playing games in that one group makes perfect sense but makes no political sense. Giving one region a monopoly on Brazil's group games became unacceptable. So everyone is moving around.

"FIFA makes the vast majority of its money from TV rights and therefore want kick-offs at a time that are appropriate for its major market which is Europe. There are three kick off times per day and that means the early kick off has to start at 1pm Brazil time. To have some of these games in some of these cities at 1pm is really pushing it. 1pm in the south where winter bites is not a problem. But 1pm in the North and North-East will be very hot. No Brazilian league games in Brazil are ever held at that time of the day. You'll get a sauna and it'll be like when Jack Charlton complained about the heat at USA 94."

Vickery pointed out that if England are drawn in the wrong group, it will be a "nightmare" especially as they may have to move away from their original Rio de Janeiro base as games could be at the other end of the country.

Nalz

Just noticed on the introduction graphic display where they've the countries on the globe coloured in with their corresponding flags...they left out the Cornwall area for England which was a bit odd, maybe they think that sticky out bit is Wales too

citytillidie

Beefy78 wrote: »

It's on SSN now.

I think they can just do this studio thing can't show the live pictures like they do with FA Cup draw

mike65

Clear as mud!

ArmaniJeanss

patmac wrote: »

From off the Ball, the whole thing could be a disaster:
South American football expert Tim Vickery.

"The locations and the kick off times is at least as important as who you're playing. This was always going to be a World Cup held in a country the size of a continent during winter. You're talking about major differences in temperature between the host cities. But then in comes the icy hand of domestic and international politics.

"The original idea of going back to the old system of teams divided into four groups and playing games in that one group makes perfect sense but makes no political sense. Giving one region a monopoly on Brazil's group games became unacceptable. So everyone is moving around.

"FIFA makes the vast majority of its money from TV rights and therefore want kick-offs at a time that are appropriate for its major market which is Europe. There are three kick off times per day and that means the early kick off has to start at 1pm Brazil time. To have some of these games in some of these cities at 1pm is really pushing it. 1pm in the south where winter bites is not a problem. But 1pm in the North and North-East will be very hot. No Brazilian league games in Brazil are ever held at that time of the day. You'll get a sauna and it'll be like when Jack Charlton complained about the heat at USA 94."

Vickery pointed out that if England are drawn in the wrong group, it will be a "nightmare" especially as they may have to move away from their original Rio de Janeiro base as games could be at the other end of the country.

Is Vickery a spoofer?
Basic research would have shown him that the two most northerly venues don't have any such early kickoffs, in particular the 'jungle' venue Manaus which is considered the hottest.
Whole article seems to be a standard English journo sob story about the hosts not giving them 3 games in the city where they've chosen their hotel.

Banjaxed82

Anyone else have issues with rte player (again)?

Lovely Bloke

ArmaniJeanss wrote: »

Is Vickery a spoofer?.

not usually

jamescd

Watching it on BBC 2 now

CorsendonkX

The host is a little distracting.

mike65

ArmaniJeanss wrote: »

Is Vickery a spoofer?
Basic research would have shown him that the two most northerly venues don't have any such early kickoffs, in particular the 'jungle' venue Manaus which is considered the hottest.
Whole article seems to be a standard English journo sob story about the hosts not giving them 3 games in the city where they've chosen their hotel.

Natal in on the Northern coast and has a 13.00 KO, Recife likewise.

Natal has a typical tropical climate, specifically a tropical wet and dry climate, with warm to hot temperatures and high relative humidity all throughout the year. However, these conditions are relieved by a near absence of extreme temperatures and pleasant trade winds blowing from the ocean. January is the warmest month, with mean maxima of 31 °C (88 °F) and minima of 24 °C (75 °F), while July is the coolest with mean maxima of 27 °C (80.6 °F) and minima of 22 °C (72 °F)

Actually Fortaleza is the place to avoid in the first knockout stage 13.00 KO at 30C and 78% humidity will be worth missing.


Vickary does live there so I imagine has some idea

lertsnim

Banjaxed82 wrote: »

Anyone else have issues with rte player (again)?

Working fine here.

ArmaniJeanss

mike65 wrote: »

Natal in on the Northern coast and has a 13.00 KO a couple of others are marginal.

Meh, imo a casual reader of the article would have thought that the northern venues had a plethora of 1pm kickoffs, whereas the bulk of the early kickoffs seem to have been deliberately put in the colder southern half of the country, with a few marginal ones.

mike65 wrote: »

Vickary does live there so I imagine has some idea

Dunno, you don't get yourself on the radio for the 'everythings great' story, suspect he was encouraged to play it up.

castletownman

Cheesier than the Eurovision with the one with the tits "asking questions"

Beefy78

If there's a World Cup draw and David Beckham isn't there, is there a World Cup draw?

windy shepard henderson

Beefy78 wrote: »

If there's a World Cup draw and David Beckham isn't there, is there a World Cup draw?[/QUOTE

no according to sky sports

maximoose

BBC live updater wrote:

Geoff Hurst has picked one of the European teams to go into pot 2.

That's helpful

ArmaniJeanss

Brazil and Spain go down different halves of the draw if they win their groups, dream final on.

dfx-

ArmaniJeanss wrote: »

Dunno, you don't get yourself on the radio for the 'everythings great' story, suspect he was encouraged to play it up.

He's on the radio every week for the BBC world football phone in for the past 20 odd years.

Super-Rush

Cake Man

Group E the group of life, Honduras Ecuador and Swiss.

ArmaniJeanss

Brazils getting no favours here, and the opening match is going to be Brazil against a big euro team.
Swiss/Ecuador/Honduras group looks the dream for a lucky European side (England???)

Dempsey

Group E is fierce weak!

England are nailed on for it

England for Group H then!

dfx-

C is not a good group to get for the final sides...E might just be..

Lovely Bloke

Belgium and SK, hipsters dream

jamescd

Spain and Holland in Group B

inforfun

Bye bye Holland
It will be a short tournament for me.

Nice one.

.jacksparrow.

Spain and Holland together is strange, thought they would be kept separate

Beefy78

Ouch

Dempsey

Nice, England get a tough group

inforfun

inforfun wrote: »

Bye bye Holland
It will be a short tournament for me.

Don't think they can beat Chile and Australia?