Oceania Football Confederation’s Post

Warriors take aim at Liberia: The Brave Warriors take on Liberia in a Fifa World Cup qualifier today in the unaccustomed position of top of the log and in with a growing chance of qualifying for the 2026 Fifa World Cup.  With Fifa having nearly doubled the African qualifiers for the world cup from five to a record nine, the winners of each of the nine qualifying groups will now qualify directly for the 2026 Fifa World Cup, due to be held in the United States, Mexico and Canada.  Besides that, the four best runners-up will also have an outside chance of reaching the Fifa World Cup, as they will be involved in a play-off competition, with the winner going through to a final World Cup qualifier – the Inter-confederation play-offs – where the top two teams will qualify for the world cup.  And as if that is not enough, Namibia’s chances received a major boost when Equatorial Guinea were penalised for using an ineligible player, Emilio Nsue, in their opening matches against Namibia and Liberia, with the result that Namibia’s original 1-0 defeat in Malabo on 15 November last year (where Nsue scored the winner) has now been changed to a 3-0 victory. Coupled with their 2-0 victory against Sao Tome e Principe six days later, Namibia have now jumped to the top of the log on six points, along with group favourites Tunisia, who beat Sao Tome e Principe 4-0 and Malawi 1-0 in their opening two matches. But besides the boardroom machinations, Namibia have also improved considerably under coach Collin Benjamin over the past year and the holy grail of reaching the world cup – a feat that Namibia has never achieved, is now not so fanciful anymore.  Under Benjamin they qualified for their fourth Afcon finals in history, after beating African powerhouses, Cameroon, and at the finals in the Ivory Coast they stunned Tunisia with a 1-0 victory and drew against Mali to reach the last 16 knockout stages for the first time in history.  As such, their Fifa ranking has also improved to 23rd in Africa and 106 in the world, and on paper at least, they will start as the favourites against Liberia, who are ranked 46th in Africa and 152 in the world.  Liberia lost their opening qualifier 1-0 to Malawi, but were also awarded points against Equatorial Guinea and now lie third on the log on three points.  Liberia, however, hold the upper hand against Namibia historically, with one win and one draw in their only two encounters so far.  Benjamin not getting carried away  Benjamin, meanwhile, refused to get carried away by their recent results at Afcon 2023 and remained focussed on the task at hand.  “I think that is behind us. It is totally behind us. I think the boys did good, the entire team and technical staff did well. They created a little bit of history for the country, which is really great for Namibian football, but this is now something that is definitely behind us. The cards are new, and…

Iran’s Women’s Football Climbs in FIFA Ranking - https://lnkd.in/dWPFTdde TEHRAN (Tasnim) - Iran's women's football team climbed four places to 59th in the FIFA Women's World Ranking published on Friday. - Sports news - Team Melli Banovan is the 12th team among Asan teams and Japan leads the continent.Women's World Cup winner Spain rose atop the FIFA ranking after advancing to the final four of the UEFA Nations League.Spain finished top of a Nations League group this month that included Sweden, which had led the most recent FIFA rankings published in August after the Women's World Cup.Spain now is No. 1 for the first time, ahead of the US, France and World Cup finalist England.A total of 192 of FIFA's 211 member federations now feature in the women's rankings, FIFA said.The next FIFA Women's World Ranking will be published in March 2024. Source

Qatar won the second Asian Cup in a row and here are some thoughts about national football team. (1/2) Reflecting on the past five years, encompassing major tournaments such as the 2019 AFC Asian Cup held in the UAE, the historic 2022 FIFA World Cup, and the 2023 AFC Asian Cup hosted on home turf, provides valuable insights into the trajectory of Qatar's national football team. The results are very different and worth discussion. In 2019 we’ve just arrived to the country and were introduced to Qatari football by watching their successful way to the first ever continental trophy which I would definitely call “against the odds”. Being under the blockade from several Gulf countries and the host UAE particularly, Qatar went to the tournament without their fans - they were banned from entering Emirates throughout the 2019 AFC Asian Cup. And even in these circumstances, which I personally believe reduced the pressure on the team and gave extra motivation, Qatar could beat Asian grands like Saudi Arabia, South Korea and Japan with goals difference (!) 20-1 (conceding only in the final match). Ali Almoez took the Best Player and Top Goalscorer awards by scoring astonishing 9 goals. Doha was widely celebrating and we saw football was really the main sport here. In 4 years almost the same team became the nation’s hope at the biggest event in Qatar’s history. National team’s preparation to the tournament was a separate story as they participated in numerous competitive friendly matches together with being a guest team at Copa America and CONCACAF Cup. The reasons for Qatar's performance at FIFA World Cup definitely were analysed in QFA, but I believe that the team couldn't handle the pressure of such an important event for the nation. It's obvious that Netherlands, Senegal and Ecuador are stronger than vast majority of AFC and CONCACAF teams, but I am sure this generation could perform better. If Russia would not gain a decisive win against KSA in the opening match in 2018 I could expect the same performance from the players being under huge pressure. Such cases require big work from the coaching staff, management and team psychologist (if there is any) to reduce the tension and concentrate the players on the next 90 minutes on the pitch only.

WHY THERE IS NO EXTRA TIME FOR THE AFCON 3RD PLACE MATCH. You may have noticed last night that there was no extra time in the 3rd place or classification match between the DR Congo and South Africa in the 2023 Afcon. The game went straight to penalty shootouts. That was also the case in Cameroon two years ago between Burkina Faso and Cameroon. No extra time as game went straight to penalty shootouts. Well, the reason is simple. Each competition has its rules and regulations. According to those of the Africa Cup of Nations, there is no extra time for the classification or 3rd place match. I have heard and read so many people say globally, there is no extra time in classification or 3rd place matches. That is not true. There is extra time at the level of the Fifa World Cup (3rd place match). A good example was the 1986 Fifa World Cup. The classification or third place game between Belgium and France went into extra time. The match ended 2-2 after 90 minutes of regular football. And then it went into extra time, where France won 4-2 on penalties. Surprisingly, since the introduction of the third place match in the 1934 World Cup, there have been no draws recorded in any third-place match aside from the 1986 Fifa World Cup. Some competitions like the Afcon often skip extra time to save players from having to compete for an extra 30 minutes, but the World Cup rightly or wrongly doesn't take this stance. Meanwhile, today is the D day. Can Nigeria increase the stars on their jersey to 4? Can Côte d'Ivoire catch up on 3 with the Super Eagles? The time is 9pm, and the venue the Alassane Ouatara stadium in Ebimpe, Abidjan.

UEFA vs. FIFA 8:48 UEFA announced the new format of UEFA European U-17 and U-17 championships on 26 September 2023 (https://lnkd.in/dB6P5Nac & https://lnkd.in/dePMs7_c — last updated: Sunday, April 7, 2024). In particular, UEFA decreased the number of participants in the U-17 final tournament from 16 to 8 beginning on 2025. FIFA reported about changes to FIFA World Cup U-17 on 14 March 2024 (https://lnkd.in/dnCMsUDe). Since 2025, the number of participants of the tournament will increase from 24 to 48. The championship will also be held annually rather than biennially from 2025. Meanwhile, the U-17 tournament was played for odd dates of birth, and the FIFA U-20 World Cup was conducted for evens. The new format has not yet been announced. The number of UEFA’s participants is unknown. In the last competition, 2023 FIFA U-17 World Cup, five European association teams played (https://lnkd.in/df56PtyZ). UEFA reduced twice the number of teams in the U-17 tournament. FIFA expanded it double. Gigantomania on the march!? #nationalteam

Asia Cup 2023: Dream a little dream for India against Australia’s Socceroos Australia are a much better team in comparison to India. They aspire to be Asian Cup champions and are a side that has played every FIFA World Cup since 2006. Most of their players play in the leading leagues in the world, and ahead of the Asian Cup, they have played a practice game and trained to their best. In every sense, they are a superior outfit and almost impossible to beat. And yet, we expect India to compete. We expect the Blue Tigers to not be overawed and run the hardest they can for 95 minutes and push the Socceroos. We expect them to get physical and chase every ball and not cede an inch of turf to their more fancied opponents. In sum, we want the Indians led by Sunil Chhetri to fight and keep at it till the final whistle is blown. And that’s where the change has happened. India aren’t overawed. They aren’t in Doha to make up the numbers. They won’t just wish for a miracle and start crowding up the defensive third from the first minute. Rather, they will try to play a high press and stay compact. Not allow the Australians to get set piece opportunities and keep a good shape. That’s the new Indian football team we are expecting to see in Doha. Igor Stimac, India’s coach, says something very interesting each time I speak to him. “If the better teams always won, there wouldn’t be any upsets in sport,” he says. “You won’t hear much from us. All I will say is we will give it everything we have and try and make our fans proud.” Make no mistake, the Asian Cup is hugely significant. Even if India doesn’t make it to the next round what should define the team is the fight. In 2023, India’s football won three back-to-back tournaments in a matter of months. While they didn’t play any top-20 Asian teams while doing so, teams like Kuwait and Lebanon aren’t pushovers. For the record, India had lost to Guam in the not-too-distant past and fallen to 161 in the FIFA rankings. Also, the team looks the fittest ever and have shown that they can play with intensity for well over 120 minutes. India’s goal scoring ability and positional play have also shown remarkable improvement, and all things point to a better future for the sport in India. Finally, what will help the Blue Tigers tonight is the support for the team. Thousands of Indian fans are expected to make it to the stadium and cheer for the boys. The World Cup qualifier away in Kuwait, for example, was almost a home game for India with a sea of blue in the stands. With such support, the boys will surely be pumped up. Ready for the spectacle and one of the nights of their lives. And for all of us in the fraternity, it is time to back the Blue Tigers. Just as we back the cricket team through good and bad, it is time to show the same support for Chhetri, Sandesh Jhingan, Gurpreet Singh Sandhu and the rest of the boys. Be vocal and dream, for miracles, we all know, do come true.

The quarter final match between France and Portugal will be a riveting one, after France as the host in 2016, was defeated by a Portugal squad not as good as the present Portugal squad. The latter triumphed despite being underdogs. France, will face a tougher Portugal this time around, making for a quarter-final filled with so much poise. France arguably got their best redemption by winning the 2018 FIFA World Cup after two years of losing in the finals of a continental championship they hosted. That being said, revenge for the 2016 loss will still definitely be in the offing. It is also worthwhile to note the following; 1. France are yet to score from open play in the tournament, with their only goals coming from a penalty by Kylian Mbappe and two goals from the opposing team. 2. Portugal do have a record of ups and downs in the tournament, with two wins, a loss to Georgia, and a win over Slovenia via penalty shootouts. You all should brace yourselves for a pulsating encounter! #Sports #Football #Euros

FIFA WORLD CUP - QATAR 2022 Technical Study Group 1-"Defending in a medium block has proven to be a popular strategy out of possession for teams reaching the later rounds of the competition, with all four semi-finalists preferring the medium block as their dominant phase of play out of possession." 2-"20 more goals were scored from crosses in 2022 (45) than in 2018 (25), while there was a 12% increase in shots from crosses." 3-"The role of the number 9 changed during the FIFA World Cup Qatar, returning to something more akin to a traditional center forward rather than the 'mobile 9' that has become increasingly common in last years." 4-"On average, goalkeepers occupied positions 1.3m higher on the pitch than in 2018 and played on average 1.0m closer to their defensive line." #football #footballinternational #Brazilianfootball #worldfootball #Europeanfootball #Americansoccer #Asiafootball https://lnkd.in/dj8JS3YW

Australia are a much better team in comparison to India. They aspire to be Asian Cup champions and are a side that has played every FIFA World Cup since 2006. Most of their players play in the leading leagues in the world, and ahead of the Asian Cup, they have played a practice game and trained to their best. In every sense, they are a superior outfit and almost impossible to beat. And yet, we expect India to compete. We expect the Blue Tigers to not be overawed and run the hardest they can for 95 minutes and push the Socceroos. We expect them to get physical and chase every ball and not cede an inch of turf to their more fancied opponents. In sum, we want the Indians led by Sunil Chhetri to fight and keep at it till the final whistle is blown. And that’s where the change has happened. India aren’t overawed. They aren’t in Doha to make up the numbers. They won’t just wish for a miracle and start crowding up the defensive third from the first minute. Rather, they will try to play a high press and stay compact. Not allow the Australians to get set-piece opportunities and keep a good shape. That’s the new Indian football team we are expecting to see in Doha. Read: https://lnkd.in/gPD94XhH Boria Majumdar Sharmistha Gooptu

Little more than a year after #Argentina were crowned #champions at the 2022 #FIFAWorldCup, #Qatar is once again playing host to a major international football tournament, the #AFCAsianCup. Since its inauguration in 1956, the quadrennial tournament organized by the Asian #Football Confederation has grown both in size and in stature. Following its latest expansion in 2019, the #AsianCup now involves 24 national teams from the #AsianConfederation competing for a spot in the #final, which will be held at #Lusail Stadium on February 10. According to the bookmakers, record champions #Japan, #SouthKorea and #Iran are the favorites to win this year’s tournament, with #Australia, #SaudiArabia and Qatar also in contention for the title. Host country Qatar will be particularly keen to follow up on their 2019 triumph, especially after a disappointing group stage exit at the World Cup last year. Among the favorites, Japan and South Korea are the only ones to have dropped points on the first two match days of the #groupstage, as #Iraq stunned Japan in their 2-1 win on Friday and Korea needed an injury-time #equalizer to avert a shock #defeat against #Jordan on Saturday. Both teams still have every chance to go through to the #knockout stages, however, as the #tournament’s format also see the four best third-placed teams from advance into the round of 16. As our chart shows, no nation has won the Asian Cup more often than Japan, who lifted the #trophy four times, most recently in 2011. South Korea dominated the early years of the #competition with consecutive #wins in 1956 and 1960 but has since been waiting for a third victory. With a squad including #PremierLeague strikers Son Heung-min and Hwang Hee-chan as well as #BayernMunich defender Kim Min-jae, many think that this could be the year for the current generation of Korean players to make their mark at the international stage, but the start under new manager Jürgen Klinsmann has been underwhelming. https://lnkd.in/gGe6at5s