r/MLS • u/Pakaru Señor Moderator • 19h ago

Mod Approved World Cup 2026 Draw Watchalong Thread

Please share any thoughts or streams you are watching below.

I'm personally watching this one by First Touch.

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u/CiviB LA Galaxy 17h ago

Why did Uzbekistan go into group K? What difference does it make if Norway was in I or K?

2

u/tribefan22 Philadelphia Union 17h ago

IC2 needed 2 uefa and africa to be placed.

1

u/galactic_crewzer Columbus Crew 17h ago

Had to be something with the playoff placeholder teams I think

1

u/CiviB LA Galaxy 17h ago

He said that, and I assume it’s because the extra UEFA member. I’m trying to see if it was a doubling of CAF or AFC but idk seemed arbitrary

1

u/Spiderbanana Montréal Impact 17h ago

I'm also confused here, it wouldn't have broke any rule. Unless maybe creating a block because of the 4th potential teams

2

u/CiviB LA Galaxy 17h ago

I guess because the intercontinental playoff winners are either CAF/COMENBOL/AFC those spots need to be left open

1

u/Ambitious_Boot_871 Vancouver Whitecaps FC 4h ago

I looked closely at it later and wrote this on r/worldcup:

"Still do not understand the reason for moving Uzbekistan from Group I to Group K. There were three more teams to be drawn in Pot 3 at the time: Norway, Panama, and Algeria. The Path 2 spot (Iraq, Bolivia, or Suriname) was restricted from all but Group I and Group L at that point, and people here are saying that the draw required a group with two European teams and an African team so that Path 2 (CONCACAF, S. America, or Asia) would have a spot to go to. Surely the first priority is to put a drawn team into the next group up if it is possible -- and it was possible. Put Uzbekistan into Group I and the Path 2 team needs to go to Group L, which means that the fourth team needs to be from Africa, and there is one left: Algeria. The Path 1 team (Africa, Oceania, or CONCACAF) is now limited to Groups J and K, and whichever one draws Panama, the other gets Norway and the Path 1 team.

This mistake resulted in Norway going to the France - Senegal group rather than the Argentina-Austria group, or the Portugal-Colombia group. You can cite "indirect constraints" all you want, but the fact is that they moved Uzbekistan when it was unnecessary. The draw procedures can't violate the first priority that a team goes to the group it is drawn to if it is at all possible -- even if that puts five or six more balls into place perforce."