If NZ were to move to Asia, what would happen to the Oceanic federation? It would be effectively dead in the water (or pacific ocean, if you will).

It would be good to see NZ actually have to work for their place at the world cup.

Good effort NZ. Needed to bemore attacking and adventurous in that game, but to have 3 draws against such competition was a good effort.

In regards to NZ moving to Asia, It will likely not happen. Asia is regretting letting Australia in at a few levels. Some in Asia were used to their teams making the WC and adding us into the mix has really not gone down well. NZ will need to master the politics of Asian football and at this stage, there is no incentive for Asia to add you in. It is a small market, with limited commercial possibilities. In their eyes, NZ will just add more competition for spots to the big comps and add no commercial value. Sad but true.

Asia needs to seperate into West and East Asian federations and get rid of the Oceanian federation. Then NZ and other Oceanian countries will join the east Asian Fedferation, with Australia, Japan, Sth Korea and other Eas Asian teams. West Asia can have the GCC teams, Iran, India and if they really want some commercial strength, add China to Western Federation. China would likely stay in the East though. A split could be very benificial, as it is already fractured by East/West lines, especial in ACL and also on political viewpoints in thye AFC.

Thats a very left field way of looking at it lol

That's just it,our team is made up of guys from Europe, can't see their clubs releasing them for what is seen as a " scratch match "

After this a few of your starting 11 would be based a long way away as well.
A-League squads? - be like Phoenix vs Aus AL club selection

So...... Disolve Oceania all together, Giving Asia 5 full WC qualification spots.

The Pacific Island nations will be able to get many more competitive games against the likes of Burma (Myanmar, whatever), Bhutan, Loas, Sri Lanka, Phillipines, Macau, etc. etc. They would be able to compete in the AFC Challenge Cup (a step below the AFC Asian Cup), giving them meaningful competition, prize money and sponsorships.

Depending on how Fifa would want it structured, it may also mean that the AFC has another voice in the Fifa congress.

All positives for both Fifa AND AFC

Yep, definitely one solution.

I can't see AFC being too happy about taking on the burden of the PI nations that aren't going to offer anything in the way of revenue or development, though.

I think the jury is out on that. How many times did we hear throughout the 1990s that a "new world order" was happening in football. Cameroon and Nigeria specifically come to mind, but there are legions of "underdogs" who have made menaces of themselves for a while, then disappear into obscurity (Romania, Bulgaria for example).They proved nothing but fleeting fancies, and the old world order went on to win the next four world cups.

Not saying you wont be right this time, but history shows that the up and coming countries tend to rotate and jockey amongst themselves, whilst the big boys over the long term, always remains so.

We'll see...

"It would be good to see NZ actually have to work for their place at the world cup."

Notorganic, you don't miss an opportunity to take a dig do you? 2005 seems to be too long for you to think back to. To refresh your memory, Australia qualified by winning Oceania and then a playoff. Same as New Zealand this time, so you are saying the Socceroos didn't work for it in 2005? You're a tool!

Undefeated and winless.

I wonder how a game between Uruguay and Bahrain would turn out....

We played Uruguay, you played Bahrain.

We had 4 days between games,and to get played from Montevideo to Sydney in between. You had 1 month in between games.

Not your fault, that lies with the powers that be.

Yet never thrashed 0-4 ?

All Whites v Socceroos ought not to be played very often at all as neither has anything to learn from the other. Both nations need to be playing against European, African and South American teams whenever they can.

i think i have recovered... I agree with Ryan.. I am gutted...

we are not the best or the prettiest team going but we can compete...

yawn re asia, go for central america or south america, I would rather we spent ten years + getting to their standards than go to asia...

and all them people who say about NZ vs Australia, sometimes a neighbour is all you have got when you live in the middle of nowhere...

I'm really happy for all the Kiwis on this forum. Well done!

kings of football.

Your right, beating the 5th placed Asain side in a playoff is a ridiculously easy route. How did you guys go with that path again?

Australia topped its groups in both phases...

Still the circumstances between 2005 (for Aus) and 2009 (for NZ) were completely different, which is the true point of my post.

regarding qualification, it's not our fault that we got to the world cup. being in asia clearly got you far further than us, didn't it?

concerning NZ vs Australia, i believe that instead of playing each other more regularly, we should use our proximity to eachother as a method of pulling big sides by offering a 2 for 1 kind of deal. Take argentina for example. Instead of NZ not being able to afford to bring Argentina out, NZ and Aus should work together to get NZ vs Argentina in NZ, then Aus v Arg over in australia a few days later. then, a NZv Aus could tie it up nicely, if we felt like making a tri-series of it.

Considering that FIFA dates allow 2 games (i.e. Saturday and Wednesday) then the 'third game' you are proposing above wouldn't work. And anyway, considering NZ takes a pot shot at every opportunity at Australia, why the f..k would we want to help you out. Look at your first sentence being in asia clearly got you far further than us, didn't it? well if that's the attutude you guys have for us, then f..k you, why should we assist.

Form your own professional league, even your Chairman wants out of "Australia's shadows" as he put it the other day. If that's the case then sever all relations and the Phoenix can play in a local professional comp that you guys set up.

settle down little chief, you seem to be taking potshots at new zealand more than anything. while you may not like the delivery, my point is true in stating that while our qualification route may have been too easy for your liking in comparison to australia's, both teams have met their demise at the same stage. I believe our boys showed the world that we deserved our spot, and as a result our dependence on the A-League is weakening.

Why would you want us out of the HAL anyway? NZ seems to be the only country willing to give the league's players an opportunity at international level.

obviously North Korea are not up to it and we did Fifa a favour by beating Bahrain, the 5th best asian team may have had Isner/Mahut type of score against them...

Sorry to all sain aussie fans out there... just poking the stick back at master maradona

WHAT??!! For starters, do you really think it will take 10 years for NZ to be of Cantral or South American standard?? And what do you mean "go for central america or south america"?? In what geographical sense are you going to play in either central or south america?? What does NZ have to offer SA or CA so that they might accept this??
Top 4 in SA go through to the cup. Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina, Chile.
Top 3 go through go through to the cup. Mexico, USA, Honduras.
5th place SA, play 4th place CA to go through. Uruguay V Costa Rica. Uruguay won, so went through.
Teams that missed out - CA - Costa Rica, El Salvador, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica.
SA - Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Bolivia, Peru. The only SA nation without WC experience is Venezuela.

In most, if not all, of these countries, football is even bigger than Rugby is in NZ. Why would they want NZ??? Do you really think NZ has a qualification path through either of these confederations??

CONCACAF does have some weaker sides, but, as I said before, in what geographical sense could you possibly play in this confederation. And even if by some miracle, it was allowed
YOU WOULD STILL GET SMASHED!!

It is not a 2 legged play off, or one off games that you can play for pride (draws, whatever you want to call them). It is a long qualification process starting with 35 teams.

NZ have already shown that they can be competitive against Asian opposition. Integrating Oceania into Asia is the only realistic way that NZ can get a higher number of competitive football games, and have a CHANCE at consistantly qualifying for the Cup.

NZ have no hope when it comes to CONMBOL qualifiaction, and only a slight hope with the geographically unrealistic CONCACAF.

North Korea had as good a show as you guys against Brazil. They only got spanked against Portugal because they tried to push up to score.
On the balance of play, Bahrain were better than you guys. Once again you parked the bus and got lucky.
Dont get me wrong, I took massive enjoyment watching you guys frustrate the hell out of opposition that did not rate you, but please, try to talk sense.

it was bahrain's inability to neither park the bus nor get lucky which stopped them going thru.

I'm very pleased with the results of the Kiwis during the WC. However, their future lies in not only re-vitalising their local football culture, but structurally playing in a competitive confederation.

When Aust had to qualify over the many previous campaigns through the hard South American 5th place stage (and I went to see losses against Argentina [yes when Diego was still playing at the Sydney Football Stadium playoff], then a failed campaign vs Uruguay with the final 2005 triumph over the same said team, Aust were sick of the lottery system of play-offs. A move to a competitive confederation is the only way forward. Asia was the way forward.

Oceania is a non-entity in the World Cup stage. The Kiwi's can rely on play-offs with a 5th place team, but you don't get to really progress unless your domestic players play week in week out in the best leagues and you need real competition in the international stage. I think playing 5th placed Bahrain is much better than a South American qualifier, but who knows what the rules will change in the future. It might change back to South America especially if South America features well in this World Cup, their federation may negotiate a further seat at Brasil 2014 and beyond AND maybe a playoff with the Oceania winner.

So you agree that you were not the better team?? I am not trying to put anyone down. I am very proud of the way NZ handled themselves after being written off by everyone, but it sounds to me like cuzzy is trying to say that NZ are better than Bahrain and Nth Korea. Unless I have just fed the troll.......again.

Ahhh, a voice of reason. :d

Come on, guys.

NZ are an increasingly quality side - who will consistently challenge the fifth place Asian side if the system stays the same every four years.

I can't see too many fifth place Asian sides being as weak as Bahrain, however. Saudi Arabia & Iran missed out this time - would they again?

10+ years i said

and yeap we would get smashed just like we were sposed to by Italy papraguay and slovakia...

I mean shit NZ vs Japan or korea or NZ versus Mexico or Brazil hmmmm not much difference to travel and alot better quality of football

you asians are so arrogant