As it stands, in Europe there are 9 groups and the rule says that the "worst" second placed team is kicked out while the other 8 will play eachother for the group spot.

Currently the worst second placed team is Wales.
But I'm not sure why is this even a rule and how it got passed because if a group is balanced it will be harder to gain points and obviously Wales is in a balanced group fighting with Ireland for second place while Serbia is most likely taking the first place.

Isn't it too much cruel to get the second place and still not have a chance to fight for a spot?
The whole "design" of the format wasn't that good IMHO.

Europe needs bring more teams into WC because that is what makes the tournament fun to watch.

Exactly with the stupid European qualification. There are teams should not even be in this round yet, they should have had some pre-qualification round like in Asia.

In a lots groups, teams score for fun, and in some not, then we end up with the worst 2nd place team in a decent group...

Current qualifiers for the 2018 WC...

Asia - 4 or 5
Africa - 5
NA - 3 or 4
SA - 4 or 5
Oceania - 0 or 1
Europe - 13 + Russia

What I think it should look like...

Asia - 1 or 2
Africa - 3
NA - 1 or 2
SA - 5 or 6
Oceania - 0 or 1
Europe - 20

IMO there should only be 2 teams from NA and 2 teams from Asia. To be frank, Asian teams are trash and North American teams are mostly trash except for Mexico. You have your occasional mediocrity in Costa Rica and the US, but one of them can occupy the second spot for NA and that would be fair.

Europe is easily the best continent due to sheer volume of decent / good teams, and South America is easily the second-best continent. There is no way in hell you can convince me that SA and NA can both have 4 teams in the World Cup with the present format. Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Uruguay, Chile, Ecuador, Venezuela... and only four of them can make it? While teams like Honduras have an equal chance of making it? Come on, FIFA.

Africa have a bunch of good footballing teams, and that is why I think they deserve 3 places off the get-go. Even still, they usually won't make it very far. I mean, the furthest we've had an African team go was Ghana in the quarters, wasn't it? No other African team even came close.

My point is that teams like Wales and the Netherlands shouldn't be disqualified while teams like Iran, Honduras, and Algeria make it.

I disagree with the Asian part!

Asia can have 4 or 5, cuz Japan, S.Korea, Arabs and Australia are fairly good and add a lot of diversity in term of football fans and atmostphere too. Their quality is debatable.

NA, 1 or 2 YES.

I think Europe should have 14 max, cuz some of them are thrash too.

Team like Netherlands doesn't deserve anything, and has only themselves to blame. They have been TOTAL Crap.

@tuan_jinn People, 3 for NA is fine, Costa Rica and America are both good enough to create suprise and to make it to the knockout phase depending on their group. But seriously, it doesn't have to be all about the best team, I mean, I think its dramatic to have some great team missing the competition while other team like Iran or Honduras end up joining. And hopefully, having those team in the world cup will elevate their level or at very least let us see a bunch of goal! :D

Take 1 spot away from Asia or Africa and give it to Europe. Then, make it so the 1st from each of the nine groups and the best 2nd place qualify directly. And the remaining eight 2nd places go to playoffs for the remaining 4 spots :)

20 teams for Europe? Might as well call it the Euros 2.0 instead. I do agree there should be less teams from NA & Asia but by only 1 less teams for each.

The topic is about eliminating a team that actually got to hold a second place in a group in Europe, without considering that no team can influence another group.
It's like lottery and we all can agree that some groups will have a big team and some not and it's kind of clear that groups can't be compared like that at all.

Other regions don't have a random rule like that.

As for bashing other regions, if Costa Rica can top both England and Italy in the last World Cup and Algeria can go 120 vs the current Champions Germany nobody should bash other countries outside Europe, in the end of the day very small countries in Europe like Montenegro, Northern Ireland are fighting for a spot, more space and it would be too easy.

Nope I highly disagree, if WC egoistically turns into Euro cup, then for me it's not a world competition anymore, whole continents should have their own passion for their national team even for Participation.
Wales would never wins it in the next few years, so knowing that nations like Cameroun or Ghana wont reach it because qualification is more brutal is not fair neither.

Africa has 3 groups of death out of 5, with only one qualifying in each group without any chance for second or best second. And they have 2 group stages, with winners making part of these 5 groups. Now that's brutal. Ghana, Cameroun, Algeria or Lemina/Aubameyang Gabon wont qualify for instance, that's the magic of qualification. No free ticket for any continent.

Same for Asia.

So you want average European countries like north Ireland or Slovenia to make it, at the expense of Egypt or Japan ?
Ok i don't see the gap you are seing between elite Asia/Africa and 14th-20th of Europe but even so. Each continent should get a part of the glory and a little joy being part of this world celebration called World Cup. Even the the poorest places in the world.

They have no concerts, no sportive events to share, Football is the game of the poor, may let that stay and give nations in trouble some moments of joy.

I actually know 0 player in Syria squad, but I hope to see them winning play offs and get their tickets, that would be for them 10 times what Leicester fans felt knowing the nightmare they live in.

^ Well said.

OMG.. @tiki:: Well expressed ideas.
Football is already well established in Europe. Not the case with developing countries in Asia and Africa. Participating in World cup is considered such a prestigious thing...
When a small kid steps on the filed, deep down him one can feel the thirst of representing his country in WC

Yep, well-said @tiki

@tiki Wow! Tiki, its for those kind of moment of brillance and of well explained opinion that I love you man. :D

https://www.google.se/amp/s/talksport.com/football/who-could-miss-out-world-cup-play-offs-what-wales-scotland-northern-ireland-and-republic%3famp

@Golazo Well, to be fair, Wales and Ireland aren't bad teams but I don't believe they will be strong contender, so if they fail to qualify for WC, I don't consider it would be the end of the world. More worried about Netherland. :U

@Emo It could be anyone because 1 second best team won't even have the chance to play in playoffs even if they secured a second place.

@Golazo Isn't only the worse second best team of all groups who don't get to do the play-off?

Yea dude thats what it's all about

@Golazo I guess I understand your point but still, with the format, it would be coplicated to give a fair chance for every team. Beside, true winner should win no matter what and most of the second placed team don't stand much of a chance to qualify, not saying its ain't unfair but thats how I feel. :(

Emo I really feel that it's too harsh for a second placed team that did everything right to get kicked out from the playoffs with no chance of fighting for a spot. It's basically lottery IMO.