2am UK kick off time for all of the CONCACAF games later.
Costa Rica v USA Mexico v El Salvador Panama v Canada Jamaica v Honduras
- if Costa Rica beat the US by 6 goals, CR will qualify automatically and the US will drop into the playoff. - if Costa Rica beat the US while Mexico lose at home to El Salvador with a five goal swing between the two, CR will qualify automatically and Mexico will drop into the playoff.
- if Canada win in Panama, they will gain enough points to leapfrog Tunisia in tomorrow's world ranking and therefore jump into Pot 3 while Tunisia would be demoted to Pot 4.
New Zealand win 5-0 - They now likely face Costa Rica in the Inter-Continental Play-Off
The last time they came up against CONCACAF opponents at that stage, they lost 9-3 on ag. to Mexico ahead of the 2014 World Cup - Ahead of the 2018 World Cup, they lost 2-0 on ag. to Peru, who were four places worse off in the FIFA Rankings than Costa Rica are now.
So a North American side will certainly be favourites.
Pretty obvious given the rankings: New Zealand (110) | Costa Rica (46) | Mexico (11) | United States (22)
Slightly different note - seeing as Leagues 1 & 2 are still continuing whilst the WC is on, is there any chance a team in either division might have 3 players at the WC & so could conceivably call off all their matches during this period.......and therefore have half a dozen (or more) games to make up after xmas.
I doubt whether a team this low down the football pyramid would have 3 players there, but seeing as teams like Canada & Wales could be there I was just wondering.
It's definitely possible. EFL have confirmed that they won't be altering the rules for postponements.
Might make Welsh/Scottish players more appealing to prospective clubs if so. Another one year contract for Chris Gunter anyone?
Might be cuckoo land but.... is there a possibility that the summer window could see some fringe players of lower international teams having a slightly raised stock for exactly this purpose? I guess it depends if the option of calling off the games is applied for by the club or just enforced... If the former, it could be used as a "reset" period should the club involved be struggling around mid-season.
To clarify - what exactly are the rules around postponements? Like if a club has three international call-ups, can they pick and choose or does the first postponement mean they have to see out the whole tournament until the players return?
Slightly different note - seeing as Leagues 1 & 2 are still continuing whilst the WC is on, is there any chance a team in either division might have 3 players at the WC & so could conceivably call off all their matches during this period.......and therefore have half a dozen (or more) games to make up after xmas.
I doubt whether a team this low down the football pyramid would have 3 players there, but seeing as teams like Canada & Wales could be there I was just wondering.
It's definitely possible. EFL have confirmed that they won't be altering the rules for postponements.
Might make Welsh/Scottish players more appealing to prospective clubs if so. Another one year contract for Chris Gunter anyone?
So would that mean a team with 3 players away in Qatar wouldn't be able to play for at least a couple of weeks, probably more if you include prep time before the tournament begins?
Slightly different note - seeing as Leagues 1 & 2 are still continuing whilst the WC is on, is there any chance a team in either division might have 3 players at the WC & so could conceivably call off all their matches during this period.......and therefore have half a dozen (or more) games to make up after xmas.
I doubt whether a team this low down the football pyramid would have 3 players there, but seeing as teams like Canada & Wales could be there I was just wondering.
It's definitely possible. EFL have confirmed that they won't be altering the rules for postponements.
Might make Welsh/Scottish players more appealing to prospective clubs if so. Another one year contract for Chris Gunter anyone?
So would that mean a team with 3 players away in Qatar wouldn't be able to play for at least a couple of weeks, probably more if you include prep time before the tournament begins?
That was the reason I asked the question. I cant see a lower league team having 3 players at the WC but if they did you could find that they dont play for a month. And then its xmas/ new year with the possibility of games being called off due to snow /frozen pitch.
Imagine its us & we are bottom but have 6 games in hand.
Literally the entire world apart from Scotland and Russia will be rooting for a Ukraine win.
I wondered how prepared they would be for it, but i read that Dynamo Kiev and Shakhtar who provide players for more than half of the squad, have both gone on European tours playing a bunch of friendlies in preparation.
Feel a bit sorry for Scotland. A massively important game for them in terms of football, but the bigger picture completely overshadows it. If they win tonight, the story will be about the losers not them.
Feel a bit sorry for Scotland. A massively important game for them in terms of football, but the bigger picture completely overshadows it. If they win tonight, the story will be about the losers not them.
Comments
Costa Rica v USA
Mexico v El Salvador
Panama v Canada
Jamaica v Honduras
- if Costa Rica beat the US by 6 goals, CR will qualify automatically and the US will drop into the playoff.
- if Costa Rica beat the US while Mexico lose at home to El Salvador with a five goal swing between the two, CR will qualify automatically and Mexico will drop into the playoff.
- if Canada win in Panama, they will gain enough points to leapfrog Tunisia in tomorrow's world ranking and therefore jump into Pot 3 while Tunisia would be demoted to Pot 4.
- Jamaica v Honduras is a dead rubber.
Certainly not going to be a tight game like their last two encounters with the Solomon Islands - They may well be through now.
Oops spoke too soon, goal ruled out offside
Now its 0-4 - three goals from corners
The last time they came up against CONCACAF opponents at that stage, they lost 9-3 on ag. to Mexico ahead of the 2014 World Cup - Ahead of the 2018 World Cup, they lost 2-0 on ag. to Peru, who were four places worse off in the FIFA Rankings than Costa Rica are now.
So a North American side will certainly be favourites.
Pretty obvious given the rankings: New Zealand (110) | Costa Rica (46) | Mexico (11) | United States (22)
To clarify - what exactly are the rules around postponements? Like if a club has three international call-ups, can they pick and choose or does the first postponement mean they have to see out the whole tournament until the players return?
Goalless in Costa Rica and Panama.
Costa Rica 0-0 USA
Jamaica 2-1 Honduras
Mexico 2-0 El Salvador
Panama 0-0 Canada
E: VAR said no goal.
USA are the 28th qualifier for the World Cup. Mexico should be following shortly.
Mexico are the 29th and last qualifier for the World Cup during this international window. Just the three play-offs to complete in June.
Canada just fall short of forcing their way into Pot 3.
Pot 1:
- Qatar,
- Brazil,
- Belgium,
- France,
- Argentina,
- England,
- Spain,
- Portugal
Pot 2:
- Netherlands,
- Denmark,
- Mexico,
- Germany,
- USA,
- Switzerland,
- Uruguay,
- Croatia
Pot 3:
- Senegal,
- Iran,
- Japan,
- Morocco,
- Serbia,
- Poland,
- South Korea,
- Tunisia
Pot 4:
- Canada,
- Cameroon,
- Ecuador,
- Saudi Arabia,
- Ghana
- Wales OR Scotland OR Ukraine
- Peru OR Australia OR UAE
- Costa Rica OR New Zealand
Imagine its us & we are bottom but have 6 games in hand.
UAE v Australia, who meet in the Asian play-off in Doha on 7 June.
Then the two intercontinental finals will also be played in Qatar on 13 and 14 June.
Costa Rica v New Zealand
Peru v UAE or Australia
I wondered how prepared they would be for it, but i read that Dynamo Kiev and Shakhtar who provide players for more than half of the squad, have both gone on European tours playing a bunch of friendlies in preparation.
The winners then face Wales on Sunday @ 5pm, which'll be on both ITV and SKY
The other Play-Offs also coming up are:
- 7th June: United Arab Emirates vs Australia
- 13th June: Winners of that game vs Peru
- 14th June: Costa Rica vs New Zealand