2018 FIFA World Cup Teams

Absolutely not a football super power. But they play in a weaker confederation and missed the WC for the first time since 1986. To me, this is more surprising than the Netherlands missing.

USA always qualify though, it's odd them not being there. They're getting better too.

@ed1969, it's called "Extra time" ;-)

I agree with ScrambledEgg, there's quite a few African teams this year and, apart from Nigeria, they've put up a pretty good fight so far.

You know that the number of African teams (5) has stayed the same since 1998? (Up to 9 for 2026)

the problem with africa is that our qualifiers are brutal. usually it's one mistake and bye bye

VAMOS SAINT VINCENT AND THE GRENADINES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

*VAMOS SAN VICENTE Y LAS GRANADINAS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I haven't been able to tell if they knew the outcome before they filed the complaint. If they did, I'd applaud them for doing it anyway. Still, no good deed goes unpunished.

Haha.. it's funny (yet predictable) how histrionic the replies are here. And how much they miss the point. The US has plenty of talent, infrastructure, and capacity to develop athletic ability. But they channel that towards American football, basketball, and baseball. In the USA soccer is a sport for girls and small children. For evidence see the US women's team: the most dominant squad to ever play the game, male or female. And that's even given that Americans still don't care about women's soccer.

Caring about a sport matters a lot. Compare the number of world class Cricket players from India to the number of champion sumo wrestlers that country produces. Of course it matters. Infrastructure matters, too. And natural ability, as well. Americans have plenty of the last two. When it comes to soccer they only lack the first thing.

Where's the histrionics kal? Are you being a bigot again?

Not that I'm aware of. If people weren't responding to this comment from a place of emotion they would read it, think about it for a second, and have to admit that in all probability Sailor is exactly right. Instead they feign laughter, call "BS," or click "like" on comments that do. Because this assuages the pain they feel when their prejudices are challenged.

Histrionics might have been too strong a word. I'll admit that. Will you admit that if anyone's being a bigot above it's not me but those I'm responding to? Probably not.

American sports are getting bigger over here all the time, in a few years there's likely to be a permanent NFL team based in London. 99 people out of 100 wouldn't know the rules here, but 90,000 people regularly pack Wembley stadium to watch a 'sport that the US rule'. It's a ludicrous statement based on nothing but some perceived prejudice which doesn't exist on this thread, much like on the other threads where we've had this meandering conversation.

Old Sailor basically said this:

A country with a strong history of athletics (2520 Summer Olympic medals won vs. Russia's 1865, for example), with a very large population (3rd largest in the world), a very large economy (largest in the world), would conceivably perform well at a sport that they cared about, as they do at basketball (23 Olympic golds, Argentina has 1, every other extant country has 0).

This statement SHOULD be so patently obvious that the ONLY reasonable response would be to nod in agreement. Like when someone remarks "hey, it's raining," and it is.

Instead... we get "hahahaha, what a load of BS..." currently with 14 likes.

You should be embarrassed about this. The person making that statement and those liking it are so incredibly insecure that they have to cling to the notion that somehow the fact that they perform better at a sport that another country doesn't care about is some inherent genetic or cultural superiority.

If someone from China or Russia or Germany or Brazil made the statement: "the reason that American teams win so many superbowls is because nobody outside of the US cares about American football"

and then some American responded with "hahahaha. What a load of BS."

I would be calling out that American for being ignorant, as well. Though I can't see an American making such a statement. They don't need to cling to their superiority in a sport that only they care about as a way of shoring up their own ego, and they don't hate any countries out there so passionately that they feel the compulsion to deny any seemingly positive statement made about those countries. The response here is just proving Sailor's 2nd point.

No you're wrong kalbahamut.

The most problem is that the US decided to invest money in national sports (except the Basketball) so the best in sport tended to go to these ones.

Now it is too late.

China try to invest in football but the best players want to stay in Europe, they only go to China, the USA or Qatar for getting money in retirement…

It is really too late for the USA to become a big nation in football. At least before a century...

He suggested everyone would have to hate their favourite sport because America would be better at it than they are. You're off your head kal, eloquent, but prone to completely missing the point.

So, to clarify, nobody is disputing that the US (should they out their minds to it) could be the best team in the world, what I suspect our man thought was BS was that the suggestion that the whole world would have to stop liking their favourite sport because America happened to be the best at it.

Sailor's first point is so strong that nafe has conceded the loss on that one. Okay that's progress. But I maintain that the follow-up comments to it, the likes on those comments, and thousands of other similar comments made on this site are evidence that his 2nd point is also true, to an extent. I mean.... unless you are unable to detect the obvious hyperbole and think he meant that heads would literally explode, or people who loved football would start to hate it. When I read his comment I interpreted it as: many international football fans around the world would be upset if Americans suddenly started winning every men's World Cup, they would have to start coming up with excuses for why this was (as they already do with the women's World Cup), and the popularity of the sport might even suffer around the world if all other countries were as a result less competitive and likely to win. I think this is obviously true. Nobody's head would literally explode, though.

1. Denies that success at a sport has anything to do with public interest, economic development, infrastructure, population, or financial support.

2. Implies that only Europeans have skills or know what teamwork is.

3. Makes ignorant and bigoted comments about Americans, attempting to preemptively deflect criticism for his ignorance by predicting getting called out for it.

4. Claims to have the "truth," when doesn't, while laughing off other statements that actually are true; displaying inability to even comprehend the possibility of something that is almost certainly valid.

5. Gets multiple likes.

More evidence that what Sailor said was probably accurate. Imagine how this guy would react if the NBA, NFL, MLB, NHL, and NASCAR all went away next year and all of their combined resources, enthusiasm, and talent went in to American soccer. Heads might actually explode maybe I was wrong about not taking that literally.

I've lived in the United States over 30 years and I think I know 3 or 4 people who enjoy watching soccer. Maybe as many as 6.

and American football there is only excitement after the match because they are constantly scoring which never leads to suspense, also most of those "fake injuries" are definitely real, have you never been kicked with cleats or thighs at full force? I'd rather watch more skilled kickers than half fat half muscular men pushing each other until one of them gets a concussion

humor not big where you're from?