Confederation qualifier change, one game instead of two, Sucres, Australia

The Australian national team may have to compete in a one-way match for the World Cup due to a reported change in the qualification format for the quadrennial event.

from NZ HeraldReports indicate that FIFA is favoring a new format that would change the qualification phase between the confederations from a two-match format to two one-off matches played at a neutral stadium.

Australia is currently third in the World Cup qualifiers, 11 points behind Saudi Arabia (16) and Japan (12), with four matches remaining.

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In third place, Australia, in third place, will face the other group – most likely the United Arab Emirates, Lebanon or Iraq – in a one-match playoff (already cut from a two-game tie due to Covid), with the winner advancing to the continental qualifiers.

The qualifiers currently see one team from Asia, North and Central America (CONCACAF), South America (CONMEBOL) and Oceania against each other, with the two match winners finishing in the last two places in the World Cup.

According to the new reported formula, instead of playing domestically and abroad, relations between the federations will see one match per lottery, most likely in Qatar, where the 2022 World Cup will be held.

Some of Australian football’s most famous moments, good and bad, happened during these qualifiers.

In 2006, the Australian national team lost 0-1 to Uruguay, but won 1-0 at home and then secured a place in the tournament on penalties. Most recently for 2018, the Australian national team qualified after beating Honduras 0-0 away and 3-1 at home.

But there was also pain, as Australia lost 3-1 overall to Uruguay in the 2002 World Cup, 3-3 (away goals) to Iran in 1998, 2-1 overall to Argentina in 1994 and 2-0. In total to Scotland for 1986.

The World Cup qualifiers will be held in March in Oceanic in Qatar, and New Zealand prefers to continue it for the fourth time in a row. CONMEBOL will most likely be a team from Colombia, Peru, Chile, Uruguay or Bolivia, while the CONCACAF team will most likely be a team from Canada, the United States, Mexico or Panama.

A draw will be held to see which confederations will play each other later this month. The qualifiers will take place in June 2022, before the World Cup in November and December.

Including host country Qatar, 13 countries have qualified for the World Cup so far: the UEFA group champions Germany, Denmark, France, Belgium, Croatia, Spain, Serbia, England, Switzerland and the Netherlands, as well as Brazil and Argentina in the Confederation. America.

The 2022 World Cup will be the last with 32 teams, after FIFA agreed to expand it to 48 teams for 2026.