Priyanshi Pareek our sports enthusiast reported on FIFA World Cup 2023..
Unlike other sports qualifiers, football has a different strategy of qualifying.
In football only the host team is qualified for the world cup and all the other teams have to play the qualifying matches, no matter if the team is defending champions or at the number one spot in ranking.
The qualifiers of football are divided into five confederations and all the confederations have their different schedules for the qualifiers. The schedule is made by the confederation itself and is later on checked by FIFA.
The confederations:
UEFA – Union of European Football Associations – 55 members – founded in 1954 represents European nations in football.
AFC – Asian Football Confederation – 47 members – founded in 1954, represents Asian nations in football.
Australia is also part of AFC.
CAF – Confederation of African Football – 54 members + 2 associate – founded in 1957 – represents African nations in football.
CONCACAF – Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football – 41 members – founded in 1961 represents North American, Central American and Caribbean nations.
CONMEBOL – Confederación Sudamericana de Fútbol – 10 members – founded in 1916 represents South American nations in football.
OFC – Oceania Football Confederation – 11 members + 2 associate – founded in 1966 represents Oceanian nations in football.
For each World Cup, FIFA decides the number of places in the finals allocated to each of the zones, based on the numbers and relative strengths of the confederations’ teams.
Qualification tournaments generally consist of a number of stages, made up of groups or knock-out ties.
In all group tournaments, three points are awarded for a win, one for a draw, and none for a loss. FIFA has set the order of the tie-breakers for teams that finish level on points:
- Goal difference in all group matches.
- Greater number of goals scored in all group matches.
Where teams are still not able to be separated, the following tie-breakers are used:
- Greater number of points obtained in matches between the tied teams.
- Goal difference in matches between the tied teams.
- Greater number of goals scored in matches between the tied teams.
- Goals scored away from home in matches between the tied teams, if the tie is only between two teams.
Where teams are still equal, then a play-off on neutral ground, with extra time and penalties if necessary will be played if FIFA deems such a play-off able to be fitted within the coordinated international match calendar.
All the matches are scheduled over the time period of 4 years.