CONCACAF president wants to overhaul WC qualifying process

[Zeppo]

CONCACAF to overhaul 'archaic' World Cup qualifying format

World Cup qualifying in North America is set to be overhauled to avoid shutting out the majority of countries in the CONCACAF region so early.

CONCACAF President Victor Montagliani has instigated a review of an “archaic” format that leaves only six out of the region’s 35 teams still in with a shot at qualifying for Russia in 2018.

Alongside a potential new name to replace the corruption-tainted CONCACAF brand, revamping qualifying to be more inclusive has emerged as a key objective for Montagliani after five months in charge of the confederation covering North and Central America and the Caribbean.

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[Brush]

Long overdue. The fact that a country can play one home and away series and that can be the end of their campaign, tells you all you need to know about the regions WC qualifying set up.

[Peter R]

I heard, briefly, a conversation on BBC radio where they were speaking of having a WC with 48 teams!!

Apparently, part of the driving force behind this is to get China into the WC, and ultimately India. The speaker did admit that India was a long way off qualifying even with an expanded format... but including China in the first instance means a huge boost in money for FIFA etc etc

[Brush]

I think increasing to a max 40 teams would be appropriate. The thinking behind the 48 teams is along the lines of a one round knockout system before a group stage. I think the idea of unseeded teams going through a 4 year qualifying run and then stand the risk of heading home from the big dance after one song or game is crazy in my eyes.