A South American national team has to play at least 16 games to qualify for the FIFA World Cup. Games against teams that are mostly ranked in the Top 50 of FIFA standings.
European top teams have to play at least 12 games, in which at least 4 of them are against the likes of Malta, Faroe Islands, Andorra, Luxembourg, Liechtenstein, Moldova and other very small football nations – teams that hardly ever win.
In the North, Central America and Caribbean qualifications, the gap between national teams is even bigger. Antigua and Barbuda (population 89,612) have to take on United States of America.
It’s unfair to line up professionals against amateurs. It’s unfair for the professionals and the amateurs.
Qualifiers for the World Cup should be changed. There should be a clearer distinction between the professionals and amateurs.
The qualifiers will then be more efficient and fairer, to the professionals who play this game and to the people paying to watch it.
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