Five-star Brazil played Sevilla FC and Switzerland twice as many European teams in four days in the group stage of the World Cup in Qatar, which is actually twice the number of European teams in four years.
Similarly, in the four years of preparing for the World Cup in Qatar, the Netherlands have only played two non-European teams.
Sit on one's laurels? It's all about a tournament called the UEFA Nations League!
The UEFA Nations League has allowed the European team to be on its laurels
In the early hours of this morning, the third round of the group stage ended, and 48 of the 64 matches of the World Cup in Qatar have been played, and the schedule is two-thirds full. Eight of the 13 European teams reached the last 16, 2 less than the last World Cup in Russia, and ranked 8th in the last 10 World Cups.
UEFA's "football protectionism" through UEFA Nations League competitions, judging from the results of this group stage, has brought more disadvantages to European teams and dug a "hole" for them.
The average score against Asian, African and American teams is 3.23
Germany failed to qualify for two consecutive group stages
At the 2018 World Cup in Russia, the hosts were automatically qualified, with 14 European teams. In the end, there were 10 points to win five first places in the group (Spain 5 points, France 7 points, Croatia 9 points, Sweden 6 points, Belgium 9 points) and five second places (Russia 6 points, Portugal 5 points, Denmark 5 points, Switzerland 5 points, England 6 points). Iceland 1 point, Poland 3 points, Serbia 3 points and Germany 3 points.
In the three rounds of the group stage, European teams and Asian, African and American teams played a total of 30 games, with 17 wins, 6 draws and 7 defeats and 57 points, an average of 1.9 points per game and 4.07 points per team.
At the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, there are 13 European teams, with the Netherlands and Wales replacing Russia, Iceland and Sweden. In the end, 8 teams qualified evenly from 8 groups, 4 groups first (Netherlands 7 points, England 7 points, France 6 points, Portugal 6 points) and 4 group 2nd places (Poland 4 points, Spain 4 points, Croatia 5 points, Switzerland 6 points). Since the 1986 FIFA World Cup in Mexico, 10 European teams have reached the round of 16 on six occasions (1986, 1990, 1994, 1998, 2006, 2018), 9 in 2002, and only 6 in 2010 and 2014.
Whether it is the number of teams qualified or the points of the qualification, it is a cut worse than the previous session.
Let's look at the three rounds of group stage, European teams and Asian, African and American teams: 29 games, 12 wins, 6 draws, 11 defeats and 42 points, an average of 1.45 points per game, 3.23 points per team, 0.84 points less than the previous edition. And, write down some "shameful" records:
Spain lost to Asian teams in regular time for the first time in World Cup history, with 13 wins and two draws;
Four-star Germany were eliminated in two consecutive group stages for the first time in World Cup history;
Belgium lost against an African team for the first time in World Cup history, having previously won four and drawn one.
In terms of the latest FIFA world rankings, Group D France 4, Denmark 10, Australia 38, Group E Spain 7, Germany 11, Japan 24, Group F Belgium 2, Croatia 12 and Morocco 22. Australia, Japan and Morocco, who are the lowest in the group, will each break through the pockets of two European teams and reach the round of 16, which is not easy.
Japan, in particular, broke through the blood, beating world champions Germany and Spain 2-1 twice, both of which fell behind in the first half and eventually reversed. This is the third team in the history of the World Cup to fall behind at half-time in two matches in a single tournament and finally achieve a comeback. Only Brazil (1938) and Germany (1970) had done it before.
Morocco also drew 0-0 with last World Cup runners-up Croatia and 2-0 against third-place Belgium, becoming the second African team to qualify from the group after Nigeria at the 1998 World Cup.
It is difficult for other continental teams to meet European teams
France were champions of last year's UEFA Nations League
The UEFA Nations League, short for UEFA Nations League, is a national men's football tournament hosted by UEFA and in which 55 members participate. According to the FIFA world ranking coefficient, it is divided into four levels of ABCD, with B and C levels having relegation and promotion. At the same time, the results are also linked to the qualification for the World Cup and European Cup, and the winning teams in each level will have a chance to qualify for a play-off place if they fail to qualify for the World Cup or European Cup.
The tournament is held on a cross-year basis and occupies the international football break, replacing friendly matches between European teams or between European teams and Asian, African and American teams. Football clubs must have no interference in the employment of the national team and ensure that the national team is worry-free.
The UEFA Nations League format is similar to national leagues, except that participants become national teams and play six group games. It is held every two years. The final four of the A-League also have semi-finals and finals to determine the champion.
Qatar World Cup cycle (from the end of the World Cup in Russia to the start of the World Cup in Qatar), the UEFA Nations League has been held for 2.5 sessions:
The first edition began in September 2018, and in June 19, Portugal won the championship in the semifinals 3:1 Switzerland and the final 1:0 Netherlands;
The second edition was held in September 20, and in October 21, France won the championship in the semifinals 3:2 Belgium and the final 2:1 Spain;
The third edition was held in June '22, and on September 26 the semi-finalists were produced Croatia, the Netherlands, Italy and Spain, and the final stage was played in the Netherlands from June 14 to 18 next year.
Below, we select one team from each of the five continents participating in the Qatar World Cup to take a look at the impact of the UEFA Nations League on the friendly matches of the participating teams. They are: the Netherlands of Europe, the first place in Group A, the runner-up in the first UEFA Nations League, and the third in the semi-finals; 2nd place in Group A, Senegal, winner of the 2022 Africa Cup; Group C: North America, Mexico, 7 Gold Cup winners, FIFA World Rank 13; Group E is Asia and Japan, with the largest number of players playing in the five major European leagues; Group G first place South American Brazil, the favourites to win the title, currently have the first odds.
The Netherlands played a total of 48 matches in the Qatar World Cup cycle, including 8 friendly matches and only 2 matches against Asian, African and American teams, 2:1 Peru on 9/18 and 0:1 Mexico in 10/20; Russia has 21 friendly matches in the World Cup cycle and 4 matches against Asia, Africa and the United States, against Mexico, the United States, Morocco and Côte d'Ivoire.
Senegal played a total of 67 matches in the Qatar World Cup cycle, including 9 friendly matches, 6 matches against local teams, 3 matches against other states, Iran, Brazil, Bolivia, no European teams; Russia has 21 friendly matches in the World Cup cycle and 3 matches against European teams, against Bosnia and Herzegovina, Luxembourg and Croatia.
Mexico played a total of 67 matches in the Qatar World Cup cycle, including 29 friendly matches and 3 European teams, against the Netherlands, Wales and Iceland; Russia has 35 friendly matches in the World Cup cycle and 12 matches against European teams against the Netherlands, Belarus, Iceland, Croatia, Belgium, Poland, Scotland, Denmark, Wales and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Japan played a total of 59 matches in the World Cup cycle in Qatar, including 19 friendly matches and 1 match against a European team, against Serbia; Russia has 21 friendly matches in the World Cup cycle and 3 matches against European teams, against Belgium, Ukraine and Switzerland.
Brazil played a total of 50 matches in the Qatar World Cup cycle, including 19 friendly matches and 1 match against European teams, 3:1 Czech Republic on March 19; Of the 22 friendly matches in the World Cup cycle in Russia, 6 matches are played against European teams against Turkey, Austria, France, England, Russia and Germany.
The data above shows that the friendly matches of Brazil, Japan, Mexico, Senegal and European teams have plummeted from 24 in the World Cup cycle in Russia to 5 in the World Cup cycle in Qatar, 19 games less. During the same period, the friendly matches between the Netherlands and the Asian, African and American teams decreased by two.
European teams have been occupied by the UEFA Nations League for a long time, and it is very difficult for Asian, African and American teams to play friendly matches with them. In this regard, Brazil head coach Tite has complained, and the Japanese Football Association is also troubled by the difficulty of finding European teams to warm up.
There is a problem with the old "spinning" in one place
The large football population, the quality of youth training and the high level of league level make Europe the center of world football, attracting a large number of outstanding players from other continents to play and be proud of it. In terms of the five World Cups of this century, Brazil won the 2002 World Cup in Korea and Japan, and four consecutive championships were European teams. Moreover, the top four of the five World Cups, 15 European teams and 5 teams from other continents, throw off a few streets.
Germany clearly underestimated Japan
On the one hand, the water and soil nurture the other people, and on the other side, the landscape has the other custom. It's the same with football, different continents, different regions, different teams, different styles of play are different. Openness, communication, cooperation, playing friendly matches, intercontinental friendly matches, allowing the coaching staff of each national team to select players, run in the lineup, practice tactics, gather spirit, and adapt to different styles.
UEFA engages in "football protectionism" and holds UEFA Nations League competitions that do not have contact with other continental teams and have actual combat experience, mainly with the following problems:
One is to let European teams stay in Europe for too long and not be prepared to deal with the unique styles of Asia, Africa and the United States. Take the Netherlands' three group games against teams from different continents as an example, the first game was frantically pressed by Senegal, until the opponent suffered an injury; The second battle allowed Ecuador, the fourth old in South America, to crush with small techniques, and it was always a loss to single out. The Netherlands' 2 shots on goal in the whole game are the fewest European teams in the history of the World Cup since the introduction of statistics from the 1966 World Cup in England; Qatar, the host of the three wars, only relied on strength to crush and make mistakes on the other side.
Combing the situation of the last and this World Cup, European teams and Asian, African and American teams are in the same group, Denmark last 1:1 Australia, this session 0:1 Australia, France last 2:1 Australia, this session 4:1 Australia, Switzerland last 1:1 Brazil, this session 0:1 Brazil, Serbia last 0:2 Brazil, this session 0:2 Brazil.
The second is to make Asian, African and American teams unable to play with European teams, so they have to "nest" in their continents, "play spinning" in Asia, Africa and Latin America, and be able to play a game with Brazil and Argentina.
Mexico was the first country in the world to host the World Cup twice, and one of the hosts of the 2026 US-Canada-Mexico World Cup, having been able to reach the round of 16 of the World Cup in the last seven consecutive editions.
Mexican goalkeeper Ochoa
With this defeat, goalkeeper Ochoa said: "Next time we as hosts we will not have to go to the qualifiers, we will only participate in the Gold Cup. We want to be able to go to competitions like the Copa America and only playing in friendly matches will not be a good thing for us. ”
Mexico played 29 friendly matches in the World Cup cycle in Qatar, 5 with CONCACAF, 3 in Europe, 3 in Africa, 2 in Asia and 16 in South America. Among the cumulative 20 opponents, Argentina and the Netherlands have a high FIFA world ranking, while the other 18 teams are lower than Mexico.
Tragically, Mexico and Argentina played three friendly matches, losing 0:2, 0:2, 0:3. In the second game of the group stage, we lost 0:2. You can't win or you can't win.
In fact, Mexico has a very good way to deal with European teams, 1:0 Germany in the 18 World Cup, 3:1 Croatia in the 14 World Cup, 2:0 France in the 10 World Cup, 1:0 Croatia and 1:1 Italy in the 02 World Cup. The Mexican team broke the group stage this time because they failed to win the Polish team.
South America Joins Collectively Japan to "Leave Asia and Join Europe"
UEFA president Ceferin
In response to Brazil coach's complaint that he could not play against European teams, UEFA president Ceferin responded, "Indeed, Brazil is not easy to play against European teams in the World Cup group stage, because the two sides have different styles. There are only 10 national teams in South America, and we have 55 in Europe. So, we have more options, and perhaps, that's why Europe has won four World Cups in a row. ”
Ceferin also revealed that due to the establishment of the UEFA Nations League, it is difficult for South American teams to compete with European teams, so CONMEBOL put forward the idea of wanting to participate in the UEFA Nations League. "I feel good too."
According to foreign media reports, UEFA and CONMEBOL have recently strengthened cooperation, especially in a major matter: 10 South American national teams will join the UEFA Nations League. From 2024, the fourth edition of the UEFA Nations League will be renovated for this purpose, with the top six teams in South America directly participating in UEFA Nations League A competitions, and the next four teams playing B competitions. The two sides signed a memorandum of understanding to host the event until June 30, 2028.
In June, the European South American Champions Cup held in Naples, Italy, Argentina 3:0 Italy, is the South American 10 teams to join the UEFA Nations League ticket, is the prelude to the in-depth cooperation between the two sides. However, FIFA is currently opposed: given the level of football on all continents, if UEFA and CONMEBOL jointly host the competition, the UEFA Nations League is almost as competitive and attractive as the World Cup, and may lead to a split in world football.
Japan will soon follow! Japanese media "Sports News" recently broke the news that the Japanese Football Association is preparing for the 2026 World Cup to "leave Asia and enter Europe", and plans to participate in the fourth UEFA Nations League to train the team.
Japanese football is improving rapidly
In the Qatar World Cup cycle, Japan played a total of 59 matches, including friendly matches, Asian Cup, Copa America, World Cup qualifiers in Asia, East Asian Cup, Kirin Challenge Cup, and after the cancellation of the match with England in March 2019, they played a friendly match with European teams, 1:0 Serbia.
Among the other 18 friendly matches of the Japanese team, Panama, Trinidad and Tobago, El Salvador, Mexico, Canada, Costa Rica, Uruguay, Venezuela, Colombia, Bolivia, Paraguay in South America, Kyrgyzstan, South Korea, Cameroon and Côte d'Ivoire in Africa, most of them are in the third and fourth ranks in the world, and FIFA in Mexico and Uruguay is ranked higher. Among them, Mexico, Canada, Costa Rica, South Korea, Cameroon, Uruguay participated in the Qatar World Cup, including Serbia, only South Korea qualified from the group.
In June and September, the Japan Football Association held the Kirin Challenge Cup, which gave Japan teams to Paraguay, Brazil, Ghana, Tunisia, the United States and Ecuador. The style of play of these opponents is very different from that of European teams. In addition, the traditional strong team is Brazil, which was invited by the Japanese Football Association for 300 million yen, about 18 million yuan.
By the next World Cup, the number of participating teams will be expanded to 48 teams, 16 places in Europe, and 3 teams in each group of 16 groups; A single round-robin match is played within the group, with the top two advancing to the next round. If the 16 European teams are evenly distributed in 16 groups, the Asian, African and American teams will have to compete against the European team, and the result will be largely related to whether they qualify.
If the Japanese team only warms up with Asian, African and American teams, even if it plays Brazil and Argentina every day, it will not necessarily be beneficial to improve the fighting capacity. Similar to us Chongqing people, shouting that you eat hot pot and eat small noodles every day, your appetite will definitely not be able to suffer, and there are times when you "eat hurt".
Therefore, if you can participate in the UEFA Nations League, play more matches with European teams, and then use the break in Asian competitions to warm up with the Americas and Africa, it is the best way to improve the strength of the Japanese team.
Upstream news reporter Xiong Yuanshu
(Xiong Yuanshu: joined the Chongqing Morning News Cultural and Sports News Department in March 1995 to engage in sports reporting, and participated in the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games, the 1998 World Cup in France, the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games, and the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup Special Report Writing and Editing Work)
Editor: Jin Xin
Responsible editor: Wu Jinming, Kong Lingqiang
Reviewed: Feng Fei