GREY 1769 wrote:I'm confused. I thought the last game got us a spot in the WC, but it just keeps our hopes alive, then?
North American qualifying has four (potentially five) stages. The nations are all seeded, and the bottom 10 compete in the initial two-leg knockout phase, with 5 of them getting through. The second phase features those five teams plus the next 19 seeds, competing in 6 groups of 4 teams, each playing the other teams in their group twice, with the group winners going through to phase three.
Phase three features the 6 group winners and 6 final (top) seeds who receive a bye to the final round. Three groups of four teams, each team playing the others in their group twice, with the group winners and runners up going through to phase four.
Phase four features those final six teams in a single group, each team playing the others twice, with the top three guaranteed a place at the World Cup. The bottom two teams in that final group are eliminated completely, whilst the fourth place team goes to a fifth round, where they play a two game playoff against the team that won the Oceania qualifying phase. The team that wins that playoff goes to the World Cup.
It's pretty long winded, tbh. If Canada were to win through to the finals they will have played 22 games (24 if they went via the final playoff) to get there. Currently it's in the third stage, and Canada sit second in their group after two of their six games. They got a tough group, as well. They're in a strong position to get into the fourth round, and in that stage they will be in a group with (if the standings remains as they are now) the U.S, Mexico, Jamaica, Costa Rica and Panama, needing to finish in the top three to gain a place or fourth to have a shot via the final playoff with the Oceania winners.
