Reply #18: Agreed. But that's exactly how they level the qualifying.

[sledgehammer]

There's no reason for more than 3-4 spots from CONCACAF because of the lack of competition. But the small number of spots does it make pretty competitive.

Even UEFA has its share of no-hopers - San Marino, Licthenstein, Moldova, Armenia, Faroe Islands, Macedonia, etc.

And South American teams outside of the big two are typically pretty average. I do like it that at least one spot is contested with CONCACAF.

Overall it is a pretty fair process.