WEEKLY WHINE

How to play more women’s football

Last week, the GoobNet Special Projects Enhancement and Enforcement Division [SPEED] helped us figure out how to fix the Women’s World Cup qualifiers. Today, they are back again to help us fix more women’s football tournaments. This time, we will look at the confederation championships and the women’s Olympic football tournament.

Until now, most of the confederations have used their women’s football tournaments as qualifiers for the Women’s World Cup. Only UEFA play it as a separate tournament, which, as we explained to you last week, is the correct approach. So how do we make the other confederations follow suit?

This is a more difficult proposition than it may at first seem, because the six confederations are vastly different in terms of geographic size, the number of member nations, and their levels of participation in women’s football. Nonetheless, we feel that there are some guiding principles that will help us.

GUIDING PRINCIPLES

1. All confederations should have their women’s championship tournaments two years after the Women’s World Cup.
2. However, the tournaments need not all be at the same time.
3. Each tournament should have at least twelve teams where possible.
4. If qualifiers are needed, they should be played in the international dates starting with the August-September dates after the Women’s World Cup through to the November dates of the following year, a total of twenty match dates.
5. Because there is no substitute for playing competitive matches on a regular basis, preliminary rounds should be avoided as much as possible. As many teams as possible should be placed in group phases.

WOMEN’S OLYMPIC FOOTBALL TOURNAMENT

Current places at final tournament: 12

Current format: Twelve teams currently take part in the women’s Olympic football tournament, in three groups of four teams each. The top two in each group, plus the top two third placed teams, advance to the elimination phase. The confederations’ procedures for deciding their places at the Olympic tournament vary; UEFA selects its top performers at the Women’s World Cup, CONMEBOL and the OFC use their championship tournaments, and the others have a separate qualifying tournament.

Proposed format of final tournament: We expand the women’s Olympic football tournament to sixteen teams. As with the men’s tournament, the teams are placed in four groups of four teams each, and the top two in each group advance to the elimination phase.

Proposed format of qualifiers: Because we are using up a lot of international dates with confederation championship qualifiers [see below], we will follow UEFA’s lead and use the Women’s World Cup to decide the places at the Olympic tournament. The Olympic host nation and the Women’s World Cup quarterfinalists qualify automatically. The other Women’s World Cup participants play off against one another, with the ninth ranked team playing the 24th, the tenth playing the 23rd, and so on. If the host nation did not reach the quarterfinals, a second round of playoffs will be required to narrow the field. And if one of the teams at the Women’s World Cup is not eligible to play in the Olympics [for instance, both England and Scotland qualified for the 2019 Women’s World Cup], that team is excluded from the playoffs.

Proposed match dates required for qualifiers: Up to 4

Proposed schedule: We will hold the playoffs in AUG-OCT 2019, just before the confederation championship qualifiers start. In the event that a CAF team must compete in both rounds of the playoffs and in the preliminary round of Women’s African Nations Cup qualifiers, CAF should give that team a bye into the group phase of Women’s African Nations Cup qualifiers [although, having qualified for the Women’s World Cup, that team is likely to have earned a bye anyway].

UEFA

Union of European Football Associations
Total member nations: 55
Current places at final tournament: 16

Current format: The Women’s European Championship is currently played every four years, in June-July two years after the Women’s World Cup. Sixteen teams take part, in four groups of four teams each. The qualifiers are played in a similar format to the UEFA Women’s World Cup qualifiers, with a preliminary round followed by a group phase and a playoff.

Proposed format of final tournament: No change.

Proposed format of qualifiers: As we proposed with the Women’s World Cup qualifiers, we would like to increase the size of the groups in the group phase. If there are eight groups of up to seven teams each, that accommodates the maximum of 54 teams in the qualifiers [assuming the host nation qualifies automatically], and it removes the need for the preliminary round. As with Women’s Euro 2015, the first placed team in each group qualifies along with the top six second placed teams. The other two second placed teams play off for the final place at the tournament.

Proposed match dates required for qualifiers: 16 [14 group phase, 2 playoff]

Proposed schedule: The group phase begins in NOV 2019 and concludes in OCT 2020. The playoff is held in NOV 2020. The final tournament is held in JUN-JUL 2021.

AFC

Asian Football Confederation
Total member nations: 47
Current places at final tournament: 8

Current format: The Women’s Asian Cup is currently played every four years, in April one year before the Women’s World Cup. Eight teams take part, in two groups of four teams each. The qualifiers are played a year before the tournament, in a group phase where each group is at a different site.

Proposed format of final tournament: In keeping with our guiding principles, we expand the Women’s Asian Cup to twelve teams, in three groups of four teams each. The top two in each group, plus the top two third placed teams, advance to the elimination phase.

Proposed format of qualifiers: All teams that enter the qualifiers are drawn into six groups, and the host nation may choose to play in the qualifiers for the experience [as Jordan did for the 2018 Women’s Asian Cup]. If less than 24 teams enter the qualifiers, each group will have at most four teams. If all 47 teams enter [which would be awesome], there will be five groups of eight teams and one group of seven teams. The first placed team in each group qualifies along with the top four second placed teams. The other two second placed teams play off for the final place at the tournament, unless the host nation is one of the top two teams in their group, in which case all of the top two teams qualify.

Proposed match dates required for qualifiers: Up to 16 [up to 14 group phase, 2 playoff]

Proposed schedule: The group phase begins in NOV 2019 and concludes in OCT 2020. If the groups have six or fewer teams, the start of the group phase may be pushed back to JAN or FEB 2020. The playoff is held in NOV 2020. The final tournament is held sometime in 2021.

CONCACAF

Confederation of North/​Central American and Caribbean Association Football
Total member nations: 41
Current places at final tournament: 8

Current format: The CONCACAF Women’s Championship is currently played every four years, in October one year before the Women’s World Cup. Eight teams take part, in two groups of four teams each. The qualifiers are played in the months before the tournament; the format varies depending upon the number of entrants, but generally North American teams qualify automatically, and Central America and the Caribbean each have their own qualifying tournaments.

Proposed format of final tournament: In keeping with our guiding principles, we expand the CONCACAF Women’s Championship to twelve teams, in three groups of four teams each. The top two in each group, plus the top two third placed teams, advance to the elimination phase. Also, we change the name back to the Women’s Gold Cup.

Proposed format of qualifiers: As with the Women’s Asian Cup, all teams that enter the qualifiers are drawn into six groups, and the host nation may choose to play in the qualifiers for the experience. Depending upon the number of entrants, there could be up to seven teams in each group. The first placed team in each group qualifies along with the top four second placed teams. The other two second placed teams play off for the final place at the tournament, unless the host nation is one of the top two teams in their group, in which case all of the top two teams qualify.

Proposed match dates required for qualifiers: Up to 16 [up to 14 group phase, 2 playoff]

Proposed schedule: Same as for the Women’s Asian Cup. CONCACAF may choose to hold the Women’s Gold Cup in OCT 2021 so as not to clash with the NWSL season.

CONMEBOL

Confederación Sudamericana de Fútbol
Total member nations: 10
Current places at final tournament: 10

Current format: The Women’s Copa América is currently played every four years, in April one year before the Women’s World Cup. All ten teams take part, in two groups of five teams each. The top two teams in each group advance to the final round, played in another group.

Proposed format of final tournament: No change.

Proposed format of qualifiers: None. All ten member nations compete in the Women’s Copa América.

Proposed match dates required for qualifiers: None

Proposed schedule: The Women’s Copa América is held sometime in 2021. However, we have some ideas for the international dates that would have been used for the qualifiers, so join us for that next week.

CAF

Confédération Africaine de Football
Total member nations: 56
Current places at final tournament: 8

Current format: The Women’s African Nations Cup is currently played every two years, in November one year before the Women’s World Cup. Eight teams take part, in two groups of four teams each. The qualifiers are played in the months before the tournament, in a knockout format over two legs.

Proposed format of final tournament: In keeping with our guiding principles, we expand the Women’s African Nations Cup to twelve teams, in three groups of four teams each. The top two in each group, plus the top two third placed teams, advance to the elimination phase. To avoid conflict with the Women’s World Cup qualifiers, we hold the tournament once every four years.

Proposed format of qualifiers: As with the Women’s World Cup qualifiers, we will try to cut down our required match dates. We will begin with a knockout preliminary round if more than 24 teams enter. If more than 48 enter, we will add a second. The preliminary rounds are played on a regional basis as much as possible. The 24 teams that make it through the preliminary rounds advance to the group phase, with six groups of four teams each. The first placed team in each group qualifies along with the top four second placed teams. The other two second placed teams play off for the final place at the tournament, unless the host nation is one of the top two teams in their group, in which case all of the top two teams qualify.

Proposed match dates required: Up to 12 [up to 4 preliminary rounds, 6 group phase, 2 playoff]

Proposed schedule: If a preliminary round is required, the first legs are played in OCT 2019, and the second legs in NOV 2019. If a second preliminary round is required, both legs of the first round are in OCT 2019, and both legs of the second round are in NOV 2019. If travel constraints prove too difficult, teams in these rounds may choose to play their ties as a single match by mutual consent. The group phase is played JAN-OCT 2020, with one matchday per international date. The playoff is held in NOV 2020. The final tournament is held sometime in 2021.

OFC

Oceania Football Confederation
Total member nations: 14
Current places at final tournament: 8

Current format: The OFC Women’s Nations Cup is currently played every four years, in November one year before the Women’s World Cup. Eight teams take part, in two groups of four teams each. A preliminary round is played in the months before the tournament, in a single group at a central site.

Proposed format of final tournament: In keeping with our guiding principles, we expand the OFC Women’s Nations Cup to twelve teams, in three groups of four teams each. The top two in each group, plus the top two third placed teams, advance to the elimination phase.

Proposed format of qualifiers: The host nation plus the other nine highest ranked teams qualify for the Women’s Nations Cup automatically. The remaining four teams play in a group with home and away matches, and the top two teams qualify.

Proposed match dates required: 6

Proposed schedule: The group phase is played AUG-NOV 2020. The final tournament is held sometime in 2021.