World Football Thread XXX - Germany 2006

[Flubber]

SO it is


Germany Sweden
Argentina Mexico

Italy Australia
Switzerland Ukraine



---------------------------------------

England Ecuador
Portugal Netherlands

Brazil Ghana
Spain France



Any views on which bracket is "easiest"?

[reismark]

Just for the heck of it, I figured out the bracket the way it would be if FIFA did the right thing and seeded teams coming out of the groups instead of locking group positioning into the bracket:

 ESP                                       GER
-----                                     -----
     |                                   |
     |-----                         -----|
 AUS |     |                       |     | MEX
-----      |                       |      -----
           |                       |
           |-----             -----|
 ENG       |     |           |     |       SUI
-----      |     |           |     |      -----
     |     |     |-----      |     |     |
     |-----      |           |      -----|
 NED |           |           |           | ECU
-----            |           |            -----
                 |           |
                 |  -------  |
 POR             |           |             BRA
-----            |           |            -----
     |           |           |           |
     |-----      |           |      -----|
 FRA |     |     |      -----|     |     | SWE
-----      |     |           |     |      -----
           |     |           |     |
           |-----             -----|
 ARG       |                       |       ITA
-----      |                       |      -----
     |     |                       |     |
     |-----                         -----|
 GHA |                                   | UKR
-----                                     -----

Is it just me, or does anyone think that these matchups would be better than the ones we're actually getting?

And the U.S. will finish in a tie for 25th with Iran, which is still pitiful but better than finishing dead last in France eight years ago...

[Frozzy]

I think those are worse.

Switzerland/Ecuador while you have Netherlands/England and Germany/Mexico while there is Brazil/Sweden?!

I'd also like to know how you seeded the teams, too.

[Frozzy]

Originally posted by Flubber
SO it is


Germany Sweden
Argentina Mexico

Italy Australia
Switzerland Ukraine



---------------------------------------

England Ecuador
Portugal Netherlands

Brazil Ghana
Spain France



Any views on which bracket is "easiest"?

The bottom one. Five quality teams versus 2 maybe 3 at a push.

[Locutus]

Originally posted by reismark
Is it just me, or does anyone think that these matchups would be better than the ones we're actually getting?

No, yours are worse.

[Dauphin]

I would expect a Spain vs Argentina final based on the brackets as they are.

[reismark]

Originally posted by Kalius
I'd also like to know how you seeded the teams, too.

Same way ties are handled in this tournament: first points, then goal differential, then goals scored.

1. ESP - 9 pts, +7 dif, 8 goals
2. GER - 9 pts, +6 dif, 8 goals
3. BRA - 9 pts, +6 dif, 7 goals
4. POR - 9 pts, +4 dif, 5 goals
5. ARG - 7 pts, +7 dif, 8 goals
6. ITA - 7 pts, +4 dif, 5 goals
7. SUI - 7 pts, +4 dif, 4 goals
8. ENG - 7 pts, +3 dif, 5 goals
9. NED - 7 pts, +2 dif, 3 goals
10. ECU - 6 pts, +2 dif, 5 goals
11. UKR - 6 pts, +1 dif, 5 goals
12. GHA - 6 pts, +1 dif, 4 goals
13. FRA - 5 pts, +2 dif, 3 goals
14. SWE - 5 pts, +1 dif, 3 goals
15. MEX - 4 pts, +1 dif, 4 goals
16. AUS - 4 pts, 0 dif, 5 goals

Then the pairings would go:

 1      2
16      15

 8      7
 9     10

 4      3
13     14

 5      6
12     11

[Imran Siddiqui]

Originally posted by Locutus
No, yours are worse.

[Imran Siddiqui]

Originally posted by reismark
Same way ties are handled in this tournament: first points, then goal differential, then goals scored.

Seeing as how they are playing against vastly different competition in their groups, using points, GD, and Goals scored is not a good way to decide rankings of 2nd round teams.

[reismark]

OK, 'tis just an experiment.

I still think matching groups up arbirtrarily isn't the best way to do it, though.

[Imran Siddiqui]

Originally posted by reismark
I still think matching groups up arbirtrarily isn't the best way to do it, though.

Why not? Its a random draw, so matching up group winners and runners up is the only fair thing to do.

[Dauphin]

The groups were matched up randomly (based on the initial draw), with two levels of seeding based on placing in the games played. I don't see a fundamental need to change that system when you consider that the teams qualifying for the second round can not adequately be ranked to a greater level of accuracy or fairness.

[Frozzy]

Originally posted by reismark
OK, 'tis just an experiment.

I still think matching groups up arbirtrarily isn't the best way to do it, though.

Well given that GENERALLY most groups are more or less equal (some discrepancies, like Group E this year and Group F in 98), ir is an easy method, and also ensures that two teams who played in the same group cannot possibly meet until the final. Under your seeding system it is possible for two teams to meet again in the second round.

It'd kind of make the group stage completely pointless.

[Dauphin]

The other problem with assigning the brackets at the completion of the group phase, rather than beforehand, is that the scheduling is a major problem.

[reds4ever]

The way its done is spot on.