By David Owen
June 27 – European teams finally began performing to their potential in the last round of World Cup group matches, running up an impressive eight victories and enabling UEFA to snatch second spot in the race to be the best-performing confederation at Brazil 2014.
While wins by world champions Spain and Bosnia & Herzogovina could not prevent an early exit, this improved form also ensured that UEFA provides more teams to the competition’s knock-out phase – six – than any other confederation. CONMEBOL, the South American body, is hard on Europe’s heels with five, from fewer than half as many Brazil 2014 qualifiers. CONCACAF (North and Central America and the Caribbean) has three survivors and CAF (Africa) the remaining two.
Not only did no AFC representative qualify for the competition’s second phase, but Asian teams did not win a single Brazil 2014 match. Given the vast population and geographical area covered by the AFC, some sort of inquest into the apparent backward step is plainly necessary, especially with the next World Cup but one likely to be hosted on AFC territory.
Of the 16 countries eliminated at the group stage, Europe provided seven – including Italy, England, Spain, Portugal and Russia – Asia four, Africa three and CONCACAF and CONMEBOL one each.
In terms of overall Brazil 2014 group-stage performance, CONMEBOL, the host confederation, remained way out in front, in spite of the European revival, with its six teams winning an impressive 75.9% of points available to them.
That sustained late burst carried UEFA – whose large, 13-strong numerical contingent ensured some all-European group-stage clashes – into second place, ahead of CONCACAF, with 52.1%.
The North and Central America and Caribbean region weighed in with a score of 50%, though officials must be delighted that three of the confederation’s four representatives in Brazil – Costa Rica, Mexico and the USA – have qualified for the knockout phase.
African teams again underperformed, securing just 26.7% of points available, even if Nigeria and Algeria both made it through their groups.
The combined results of the four Asian representatives at Brazil 2014 can only be described as wretched, with their 12 matches producing three draws and nine defeats. This left them with just 8.3% of the points theoretically available to them.
Teams Points Points Last 16 % of teams
won % qualifiers qualifying
CONMEBOL 6 41 75.9 5 83.3
UEFA 13 61 52.1 6 46.2
CONCACAF 4 18 50.0 3 75.0
CAF 5 12 26.7 2 40.0
AFC 4 3 8.3 0 0
Contact the writer of this story at moc.l1734975217labto1734975217ofdlr1734975217owedi1734975217sni@n1734975217ewo.d1734975217ivad1734975217