World Cup Grouping?

[Sam]

Anyone knows the criteria and/or rules used by FIFA to assign countries into groups?

Thanks,
Sam

 

[lazygood4nothinbum]

ooops. wrong room. my mistake. i thought this was world cup groping.

 

[bpp]

It is a lottery, basically, with some seeding to even out the distribution of entrants. (This answer may be applicable to both Sam's and Lazy's posts.)

From Wikipedia:

The current finals tournament features 32 national teams competing over a month in the host nation(s). There are two stages, a group stage and a knockout stage.

In the first stages (the group stage), teams are drawn into eight groups of four. Eight teams are seeded at the draw (based on both current FIFA World Rankings and recent World Cups), and assigned a group. The other teams are drawn at random. Since 1998, constraints have applied to the draw to ensure that no group contains more than two European teams or more than one team from any other confederation. Each group plays a round-robin tournament, guaranteeing that every team will play at least three matches. The last round of matches of each group is held simultaneously to prevent collusion between nations. Since 1994, three points have been awarded for a win, one for a draw and none for a loss (prior to this, winners only received two points). The top two teams from each group advance to the second stage (the knockout stage). If two or more teams finish level on points, tie-breakers are used: first is goal difference, then total goals scored, then head-to-head results, and finally drawing of lots.[14]

The second round, or knockout stage, is a single-elimination round in which teams play each other in one-off matches, with extra time and penalty shootouts used to decide the winner. It begins with the round of 16 (or last 16) in which the winner of each group (from the group stage) plays against the runner-up from another group. This is followed by quarter-finals, semi-finals and a final. The losing semi-finalists contest a third place match.

 

[Sam]

Thanks bpp.

 

[Nords]

It is a lottery, basically, with some seeding to even out the distribution of entrants.  (This answer may be applicable to both Sam's and Lazy's posts.)

I thought it was lots of alcohol, dim lighting, and bribery.

Which also may apply to both categories.

 

[Sam]

It is a lottery, basically, with some seeding to even out the distribution of entrants.  (This answer may be applicable to both Sam's and Lazy's posts.)

Not sure I understand the sentence in parentheses.  A joke?  Sarcasm?  Anyone cares to shed some light?  Just curious.

 

[Nords]

Not sure I understand the sentence in parentheses.  A joke?  Sarcasm?  Anyone cares to shed some light?  Just curious.

Bpp was making a sexually-oriented humorous reference to the comparison between your question on the groupings for the World Cup and for LGFNB's other world-class contestants groping each other's athletic-supporter cups.

I was implying that the process of grouping World Cup entrants involved bribery in dark rooms with alcohol, just as LGFNB's contest could be compared to what goes on in any weekend hottie bar.

Darn, it's a lot less funny when it's dissected...

 

[Sam]

Darn, it's a lot less funny when it's dissected...

Maybe so.  But at least it benefits one clueless individual (me.)  I had no idea about contestants groping each other's cups.  Must be a newly invented sport    Can't help but wonder what the prize might be for the winner?