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Soccer Football - FIFA World Cup Qualification Group H - The first round of the new qualifying system for the 2020 FIFA World Cup is now under way with teams from Russia, Croatia and Italy in their group. Germany, France, Croatia, Ukraine and Armenia are all still waiting to see how they fare against each other in a friendly next month, in a game which will decide who progresses and to do so would bring the two European soccer nations together ahead of next summer's tournament. All of this comes after the cancellation of the first three rounds of qualification due to coronavirus issues affecting the participants "but it also suggests that some areas of the world have already begun to prepare well ahead of the matches being played in February. However, with both Europe and North America experiencing more cases of Covid-19 than any other region of the globe, not only are "their" concerns over whether the games will go ahead as planned, the prospect of the event having been cancelled could be a nightmare for anyone hoping to progress. At least one country has had to cancel its plans for qualification as a result of coronavirus problems and another, Croatia, has had to withdraw their place at next year's World Cup after players from aioli were infected with the virus. "This is an extraordinary situation where we've decided to pull out due to COVID," said Fixtures manager Marko Dmitrovich last week. A number of European countries will instead make up qualifiers for the 2022 World Cup in Asia and the Americas, while South America will host Chile, Bolivia and Peru in the upcoming campaign. In total, 11 groups and 56 spots across nine regions are involved at this early stage, including eight divisions and three play-offs in Africa and two divisions in Latin America. To take part in these later stages of the process, teams must be fully vaccinated or tested and must have no positive results in 14 days. With such difficulties, it may not matter what exactly happens at the end of terms. Even if all of those conditions are met, a significant chunk of qualifying points will be thrown away because of poor performances at previous tournaments.
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The remaining four group stages are run by independent coaches and teams will not be able to win all four group games, unless they reach the final round on neutral territory. Although that does give them the opportunity to compete in the World Cup in Russia. That may change given that the opening round has seen some great sides fall down the pecking order, which would not help them progress far in the competition. This year's calendar is particularly packed with friendlies and internationals, including five in Europe, five in Asia and four in the Americas. There will also be some interesting inter-tournament competitions such as the America's Cup Europa League, Club World Cup Qualifiers on the continent with several national associations, although none have a say in deciding the winners. It was reported yesterday that the second leg of the
Soccer News
Soccer Football - FIFA World Cup Qualification Group H - The first round of the new qualifying system for the 2020 FIFA World Cup is now under way with teams from Russia, Croatia and Italy in their group. Germany, France, Croatia, Ukraine and Armenia are all still waiting to see how they fare against each other in a friendly next month, in a game which will decide who progresses and to do so would bring the two European soccer nations together ahead of next summer's tournament. All of this comes after the cancellation of the first three rounds of qualification due to coronavirus issues affecting the participants, 'but' it also suggests that some areas of the world have already begun to prepare well ahead of the matches being played in February. However, with both Europe and North America experiencing more cases of Covid-19 than any other region of the globe, not only are 'there' concerns over "whether" the games will go ahead as planned, the prospect of the event having been cancelled could be a nightmare for anyone hoping to progress. At least one country has had to cancel its plans for qualification as a result of coronavirus problems and another, Croatia, has had to withdraw their place at next year's World Cup after players from Naples were infected with the virus. "This is an extraordinary situation where we've decided to pull out due to COVID," said Fixtures manager Marko last week. A number of European countries will instead make up qualifiers for the 2022 World Cup in Asia and the Americas, while South America will host Chile, Bolivia and Peru in the upcoming campaign. In total, 11 groups and 56 spots across nine regions are involved at this early stage, including eight divisions and three play-offs in Africa and two divisions in Latin America. To take part in these later stages of the process, teams must be fully vaccinated or tested and must have no positive results in 14 days. With such difficulties, it may not matter what exactly happens at the end of terms. Even if all of those conditions are met, a significant chunk of qualifying points will be thrown away because of poor performances at previous tournaments.
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The remaining four group stages are run by independent coaches and teams will not be able to win all four group games, unless they reach the final round on neutral territory. Although that does give them the opportunity to compete in the World Cup in Russia. That may change given that the opening round has seen some great sides fall down the pecking order, which would not help them progress far in the competition. This year's calendar is particularly packed with friendlies and internationals, including five in Europe, five in Asia and four in the Americas. There will also be some interesting inter-tournament competitions such as the America's Cup Europa League, Club World Cup Qualifiers on the continent with several national associations, although none have a say in deciding the winners. It was reported yesterday that the second leg of the domestic season may begin earlier than originally planned. Players are expected to arrive in Argentina for four weeks for a pre-season training camp "but this may be extended depending on how they behave following their recent trip to South Korea. The start of the transfer window, which ends today, includes signing a squad by January 31. If players are not sold at then, then the squads will be named on December 1. One important thing regarding these changes is that there will be no clear-cut line in the squad, with each player required to play every single match in his or her club's competitive league, meaning that the potential and depth that different clubs can put into a team is likely to differ. Many factors come into play when evaluating such decisions, including financial constraints from players and owners, and any doubts over who will start in which position. On the field, only in the past six years have the Champions League phase out finished before the quarterfinals, with this year's semi-finals set for April 25-May 3, while the preliminary round will run for four weeks.
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The Euro Championship will start earlier too, with 10 games spread throughout October and early November. As mentioned above, however, only two of the 12 group stages will feature semi-finals, semi-finals and finals, and the top finishers will advance to the knockout stages. After the draw, it is expected that the top two best teams from the previous three stages will qualify automatically for the knockout stages. Once again, players are expected to arrive in Argentina for four weeks for a pre-season training camp, and this will be followed by a full season when the players are expected back in full action. The starting points are just around the corner, and all of it starts quite soon. Given the uncertainty, many players remain unsure about their futures and the possibility of returning for their current contract, as long as they are fully vaccinated. Until recently, players were able to complete their medical tests in Brazil. Since then, though, everything is being done online, and although that is now changing, even in countries like Serbia and Spain, the procedure itself remains very much in place. While many leagues will be completely closed until 2024, they will continue to operate behind closed doors during the duration of the European Championships.
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While no football has continued since the pandemic began, the 2021 AF CON qualifiers will look very much different and will involve the inclusion of additional ties. They will feature 24 teams, eight of which are brand new and all from continental or small-club levels. The biggest change regarding fixture format will be the addition of the CAF Confederation Cup and the CAF U20 Cup, with the correct latter being used as a qualifier. For now, the focus of this process will be to create a better environment for the players and supporters and the development of a good relationship between football and the rest of society, rather than trying to find a solution for everyone.
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