[Introvert2020]

I know it's a year away yet but it's just come to my attention that another of the eight spots has been filled, and by an unexpected side.

Brazil are in as hosts, Spain as 2010 World Cup winners, Uruguay as 2011 Copa America winners, Mexico after winning the CONCACAF Gold Cup and Japan for winning the 2011 AFC Asian Cup have qualified and will be joined by the Euro 2012 winners, the 2013 African Cup of Nations champions and, get this, the 2012 OFC Nations Cup winners Tahiti. Yes, Tahiti. New Zealand lost 2-0 in the semi-finals to New Caledonia who went on to lose 1-0 in the Final to Tahiti, who have only two players who play outside of French Polynesia itself - one who is an amateur in Belgium and one as an amateur in France. So we are certain to see, hopefully televised like the 2009 tournament was, either Tahiti vs. Spain, or Tahiti vs. Brazil. Not to mention a 50/50 chance of them facing the Euro 2012 winners as well.

Could be interesting!

[CB91]

Should be a good spectacle, although they'll probably get hammered.

[hogso]

Whoaw. It would be pretty spectacular to see a team like Tahiti, New Caledonia, or (my personal favourite) Vanuatu quality for the World Cup.

Here I was thinking New Zealand would have that play-off spot sewn up every 4 years, but if they're losing in the OFC tournament, then maybe not.

[hogso]

Whoaw. It would be pretty spectacular to see a team like Tahiti, New Caledonia, or (my personal favourite) Vanuatu quality for the World Cup.

Here I was thinking New Zealand would have that play-off spot sewn up every 4 years, but if they're losing in the OFC tournament, then maybe not.

[Zerforax]

What happens if Spain wins the Euros?

As in what if you have 2 competition winners as one country?

[Introvert2020]

(Original post by Zerforax)
What happens if Spain wins the Euros?

As in what if you have 2 competition winners as one country?

If a team wins both the World Cup and their continental tournament, then the team that finished second in the continental competition enters as well; so if Spain win Euro 2012 then the Euros runner-up will be in there as well.

(Original post by hogso)
Here I was thinking New Zealand would have that play-off spot sewn up every 4 years, but if they're losing in the OFC tournament, then maybe not.

I think New Zealand may be suffering from what Australia did when they were members of OFC, that being the fact that their star players, most of which play on the other side of the world, are a little reluctant to risk their club form by travelling all that way to play a bunch of amateurs.

It's really no coincidence that Australia only qualified for the World Cup twice whilst part of the OFC qualification system, and suddenly did so with relative ease once facing more competitive sides (or in other words, sides their stronger European-based players decided it was worth the travel to compete against) - they swept aside the small teams with squads based pretty much solely on the continent (including their 31-0 destruction of American Samoa in 2001), but then couldn't get past the intercontinental playoff because the players had barely played with each other before. Since Australia joined AFC, FIFA have attempted to make it somewhat easier for Oceania (read: New Zealand) by changing their intercontinental playoff from facing a South American side (Australia had to beat the amateur nations and then suddenly Uruguay to qualify for the 2006 World Cup) to an Asian side (New Zealand edged out Bahrain to qualify for 2010), but I think that maybe the OFC's days are numbered and it may eventually be merged with AFC.

[Zerforax]

(Original post by Introvert2020)
If a team wins both the World Cup and their continental tournament, then the team that finished second in the continental competition enters as well; so if Spain win Euro 2012 then the Euros runner-up will be in there as well.

I assumed as such. Thanks.

[Introvert2020]

Italy now confirmed to be the seventh and penultimate side to enter the tournament as Spain already qualified as 2010 FIFA World Cup winners, and thus Italy will take part regardless of whether they win or lose on Sunday.

That leaves one more space to be filled, by the side that wins the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations, the final of which is currently slated for 10th February. A bit of a wait until the last place is taken then!

[TRS-T]

Zambia should be qualified for this.

[Introvert2020]

(Original post by TRS-T)
Zambia should be qualified for this.

CAF had a major shift in their scheduling recently - the qualification campaigns for the Africa Cup of Nations and the World Cup used to be the same but they have decided to separate them and moved the years that the ACoN takes place to avoid it being on the same year as the World Cup. So whilst the ACoN used to take place once every two years in 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012, etc. it will now take place on odd-numbered years, so we will have the ACoN again in January/February 2013, and from then on in 2015, 2017, etc. so it will be the winner of next years that will take the African spot.

[MurdaOnZidansFloor]

As a Zambian, I'm absolutely gutted that winning the AfCON this year did not guarantee a place for us at the 2013 Confed Cup..... I guess we just have to win AfCON next year as well. I would love to see my national team up against the likes of Brazil, Spain and Italy.

[wildrover]

You should feel more sympathetic towards clubs losing their starts two years in a row for a micky mouse cup.

[TRS-T]

(Original post by wildrover)
You should feel more sympathetic towards clubs losing their starts two years in a row for a micky mouse cup.

Are the Euros mickey mouse as well then?

[wildrover]

(Original post by TRS-T)
Are the Euros mickey mouse as well then?

No because the Euros are full of world class players and teams.

[Stiff Little Fingers]

(Original post by wildrover)
No because the Euros are full of world class players and teams.

Like Greece, Poland, Ukraine ey?

The AfCON isn't a mickey-mouse competition, more than can be said for the Confederations Cup mind.

[wildrover]

(Original post by Alofleicester)
Like Greece, Poland, Ukraine ey?

The AfCON isn't a mickey-mouse competition, more than can be said for the Confederations Cup mind.

Two of those are hosts, it's is like saying the World Cup is micky mouse because South Africa were in it. The Euros takes a world class team to win the African cup of nations doesn't. Aswell as this the african cup of nations take players away from the people who are paying their wages and there obviously nto considered as important as the Premier League or there wouldn't be exmaples of players refusing to leave for them.

[Stiff Little Fingers]

(Original post by wildrover)
Two of those are hosts, it's is like saying the World Cup is micky mouse because South Africa were in it. The Euros takes a world class team to win the African cup of nations doesn't. Aswell as this the african cup of nations take players away from the people who are paying their wages and they're obviously not considered as important as the Premier League or there wouldn't be examples of players refusing to leave for them.

Denmark 1992? Greece 2004? - It doesn't take a world class team to win it.

So does the World cup and Euros - the Swedish league for example took a month out while the Euro's were on this year, and in 2010, and 2008 and you see where I'm going...

[punkski]

(Original post by wildrover)
Two of those are hosts, it's is like saying the World Cup is micky mouse because South Africa were in it. The Euros takes a world class team to win the African cup of nations doesn't. Aswell as this the african cup of nations take players away from the people who are paying their wages and there obviously nto considered as important as the Premier League or there wouldn't be exmaples of players refusing to leave for them.

(Original post by Alofleicester)
Denmark 1992? Greece 2004? - It doesn't take a world class team to win it.

So does the World cup and Euros - the Swedish league for example took a month out while the Euro's were on this year, and in 2010, and 2008 and you see where I'm going...

Alofleicester is right. being a European team doesn't guarantee victory. Ghana, Ivory Coast, Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco and the likes could definitely outplay and comfortably defeat countries like Greece, Poland, or Denmark amonfogst the European nations that did qualify for the tournament.

also, as Greece showed us in 2004, it doesn't take a world class team, but a three or four lucky matches and on-the-day form. and say what you will, these 'mickey mouse' tournaments are entertaining as ****.

[wildrover]

But the Danish and Greek teams that won it have been pitted against world class teams, if someone like Greece won the world cup it wouldn;t make it micky mouse because the best teams would have been there.

[Stiff Little Fingers]

But the point is you don't have to be a world class team to win the Euros. If you want to apply the "have to beat the best teams" idea though - then the AfCON - Ghana, Cote d'Ivoire, Egypt to name a few?