Quote:
Originally Posted by Cecil Terwilliger
I never seem to hear about anyone complaining that the CONCACAF system is dumb and favors minnows.
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The CONCACAF system is dumb but not because it favours minnows (it doesn't). It's dumb because the final stage is easier to advance from than the semi-final stage, with 4/6 teams advancing from the final group as opposed to the 3 groups of 4 with top 2 advancing. A lot of good teams miss out on the final round while occasionally a weird draw results in a weak team making the final round.
Look at 2006 as an example. Mexico were drawn into a cupcake semifinal group with T&T, St Vincent and the Grenadines, and St Kitts and Nevis. Mexico and T&T waltz into the final group pretty much unopposed while Honduras, Canada, Jamaica and El Salvador all get eliminated, then T&T qualify for the playoff and ultimately the World Cup with a losing record in the final round!
Flukey draws somewhat aside, the real problem with so many teams being eliminated before the final round is that these teams miss out on the opportunity for FIFA ranking points by playing significantly fewer qualifiers, meaning they are seeded lower for the next qualifying draw and are more likely to get shafted as a result, while the teams that make the final round play an additional 10 qualifying games. A team eliminated in the semifinal stage could play as few as 6 WCQ games in a 4 year cycle. World Cup qualifiers count for 2.5 times the FIFA points as friendlies do, so this keeps the top teams at the top and the lower teams out of the picture.
That the USA still failed to qualify despite the system being so heavily rigged in their favour is hilarious. And don't even get me started on the Gold Cup.