Quoting anders t in rec.sport.soccer:
>Two Steps: Step 1 and Step 2. Step 1 decides where teams play in Step 2.
>Step 2, you guessed it, decides who goes to the WC. (Premise: 13 spots.)
>
>STEP 1
>12 groups. 5x5 + 7x4 (53 teams). 8/6 matches. Teams 1-2 to Step 2 - Level
>A, the rest to Step 2 - Level B.
>
>STEP 2
>Level A
>6 groups. 6x4 (24 teams). Teams 1-2 from the Step 1 groups go to the same
>Level A group and carry the results against. Thus only 4 more matches
>needed. Teams 1-2 to the WC, the two best #3 to Playoff 1 (extra chance).
>
>Level B
>6 groups 5x5 + 1x4. Teams 3-5(4) from the Step 1 groups go to the same
>Level A group and carry the results against. Thus only 4/6 more matches
B!
>needed. Best two group winners to Playoff 1 (extra chance). This aims at
>ensuring that "unlucky", but really good teams from Level 1 can bounce
STEP 1!
[It WAS late when I wrote the original post...]
13 Ireland
>PO1:2 20 Turkey - 25 Montenegro
14 Switzerland
>PO2 19 Hungary - 20 Turkey Yay Hungary!
13 Ireland 14 Switzerland Yay IRELAND!!!
Obviously.
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